The Nonlinear Properties of Debye Sphere

By solving the 1-D and 3-D nonlinear Poisson equations, we have firstly studied the nonlinear Debye shielding, the nonlinear polarization force which is exerted on a particulate (plane) by its distorted Debye sphere(layer) in an applied electrical field, and the relation between them. Two intrinsic modification factors describing the two nonlinear effects are found. They are proved equal for an object with a surface at a uniform potential. The two nonlinear effects depend on both the surface potential and the size of the particulate. Sixty percent of the applied field on a particulate with a diameter of 1.64λ D and a surface potential of 1.7 T e in the plasma with T e / T i = 2 is screened, whereas in some other cases, the applied field can be enhanced. However, under the same conditions, the nonlinear effects are much smaller for a particulate with a diameter of 0.1λ D . Our results can be directly applied to study the dynamics of dust particulate in plasma.