Alfvén waves in space and astrophysical dusty plasmas

Abstract

In this paper, we present some results of previous works on Alfvén waves in a dusty plasma in different astrophysical and space regions by taking into account the effect of superthermal particles on the dispersive characteristics. We show that the presence of dust and superthermal particles sensibly modify the dispersion of Alfvén waves. The competition between different damping processes of kinetic Alfvén waves and Alfvén cyclotron waves is analyzed. The nonlinear evolution of Alfvén waves to chaos is reviewed. Finally, we discuss some applications of Alfvén waves in the auroral region of space plasmas, as well as stellar winds and star-forming regions of astrophysical plasmas.