Dissipative instability in an aerosol plasma

Dissipative instability in a weakly ionized aerosol plasma has been studied with allowance for a finite electric conductivity of the medium, electron and ion diffusion, and friction of the aerosol component against a neutral gas. Instability is caused by the relative drift of the aerosol and ion components. Estimates of the basic parameters of instability (threshold, characteristic wavelengths, and increments) in experiments with dust crystals indicate that this instability can be an important additional factor upon the formation of regular structures in an aerosol plasma.