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The scientific community has expressed strong interest to re-fly Stardustlike missions with improved instrumentation. We propose a new mission concept, SARIM, that collects interstellar and interplanetary dust particles and returns them to Earth. SARIM is optimised for the collection and discrimination of interstellar dust

We discuss the inductively heated plasma generator (IPG) facility in application to the generation of the thermal dusty plasma formed by the positively charged dust particles and the electrons emitted by them. We develop a theoretical model for the calculation of plasma electrical conductivity under typical conditions of the IPG. We show that the electrical conductivity of dusty plasma is defined by collisions with the neutral gas molecules and by the electron number density. The latter is calculated in the approximations of an ideal and strongly coupled particle system and in the regime of weak and strong screening of the particle charge. The maximum attainable electron number density and corresponding maximum plasma electrical conductivity prove to be independent of the particle emissivity. Analysis of available experiments is performed, in particular, of our recent experiment with plasma formed by the combustion products of a propane-air mixture and the CeO 2 particles injected into it. A good correlation between the theory and experimental data points to the adequacy of our approach. Our main conclusion is that a level of the electrical conductivity due to the thermal ionization of the dust particles is sufficiently high to compete with that of the potassium-doped plasmas. emission, photoemission, and thermionic emission [15-18]. It is possible in some cases for these emitted electrons to be major contributor to the electron density within the plasma, such as for UV-induced dusty plasmas [19,20], or in flames, where the thermionic emission from carbonaceous soot elevates the electron density by several orders of magnitude [21,22]. For a comprehensive discussion of these plasma types, see the review [23] and references therein. Recent studies based on the treatment of quantum states of the surplus electrons near the surface of charged particles make it possible to calculate such quantities as the electron sticking coefficient and desorption time, to account for the infrared extinction of dielectric particles etc [24][25][26][27].The characteristics of such complex plasmas have implications for applications as disparate as understanding volcanic eruptions, the explosiveness of dust clouds and powders, communications, wildfires, rocket propulsion, and fusion energy. Lightning associated with volcanic plumes is a direct result of the electrification of the particulate matter within the plume. As these particles are transported over large distances, the electric potentials which develop lead to lightning discharges. The electrical activity of volcanic eruptions is a possible method to monitor volcanic activity, both here on earth and on exoplanets [28]. Many industries handle large amount of powders such as paint, chemical fertilizer, grain powder, starch, detergent. As airborne dust particles become charged, a spark introduced into the system can ignite an explosion [29]. Care must be taken during transport to mitigate the effects, which can lead to accidental dust explosions [30]. Wildfires are weakly ionized ga...

The interaction between a magnetic field and plasma close to a nonconductive surface is of interest for both science and technology. In space, crustal magnetic fields on celestial bodies without atmosphere can interact with the solar wind. In advanced technologies such as those used in fusion or spaceflight, magnetic fields can be used to either control a plasma or protect surfaces exposed to the high heat loads produced by plasma. In this paper, a method will be discussed for investigating magnetic field plasma interactions close to a nonconductive surface inside a Gaseous Electronics Conference reference cell employing dust particles as probes. To accomplish this, a magnet covered by a glass plate was exposed to a low power argon plasma. The magnetic field was strong enough to magnetize the electrons, while not directly impacting the dynamics of the ions or the dust particles used for diagnostics. In order to investigate the interaction of the plasma with the magnetic field and the nonconductive surface, micron-sized dust particles were introduced into the plasma and their trajectories were recorded with a high-speed camera. Based on the resulting particle trajectories, the accelerations of the dust particles were determined and acceleration maps over the field of view were generated which are representative of the forces acting on the particles. The results show that the magnetic field is responsible for the development of strong electric fields in the plasma, in both horizontal and vertical directions, leading to complex motion of the dust particles.