Characteristics of dusty plasma sheath over a spacecraft surface near Jupiter’s ring with oblique magnetic field and non-extensive electrons

Abstract Space plasma significantly affects spacecraft charging, and accurate sheath modeling is essential for predicting surface potential and mitigating related issues. This study investigates the characteristics of a dusty plasma sheath near a spacecraft surface in an oblique magnetic field using a 1D3V fluid model, where electrons follow a non-extensive distribution. A modified orbital-motion-limited model is used to determine the dust charge. The dust surface potential shows distinct behavior at the sheath edge and in the bulk region. By employing the Sagdeev potential method, a generalized Bohm criterion incorporating dust charging is derived. Results show that the effective Bohm velocity decreases with increasing dust radius, reflecting the strong influence of dust on sheath structure. The results reveal that as the dust particle radius decreases, the sheath floating potential increases, intensifying the surface charging effects of spacecraft. A stronger oblique magnetic field increases the positive charging of dust particles, thereby modifying the sheath structure. A key finding is that dust particles near the floating wall carry significantly lower charges than previously predicted, due to the coupling between the dust charging process and the floating potential condition. Additionally, a sub-extensive electron distribution leads to a higher wall potential than in the super-extensive case, further amplifying spacecraft charging effects.