Charge fluctuations on the dust grains in the presence of energetic electrons

Abstract Dust charging is an arbitrary process occurring at random times which results in fluctuations of dust charge around its equilibrium value. To have a better insight into the mechanism of charge fluctuations, a numerical simulation of the statistical nature of the dust charging process is investigated. Here, a multicomponent non-Maxwellian hydrogen plasma comprising two electron groups, positive ions, and dust grains is modelled. An increase in the overall negative dust charge number is reported in the presence of non-Maxwellian electrons. Additionally, the study emphasizes the role of electron distribution and hot electron temperature and density on the charge fluctuations of the dust grains.