Abstract
A simple derivation of the electrostatic potential and energy loss of
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test charge projectiles traveling through dusty plasma has been presented. The effect of dust-charge fluctuations, dust neutral collisions, and self-gravitation on the shielded potential and energy loss of charge projectiles has been investigated both analytically as well as numerically. An interference contribution of these projectiles to the shielded potential and energy loss has been observed, which depends upon their relative orientation and separation distance. A comparison has been made for correlated and uncorrelated motion of the two projectiles. The amplitude of the shielded potential is enhanced with the increase of dust Jeans frequency for separation less than the effective Debye length. The dust-charge fluctuations produce a potential well for a slow charge relaxation rate and energy is gained, not lost, by the test charge projectiles. However, a fast charge relaxation rate with a fixed value of Jeans frequency enhances the energy loss. The dust neutral collisions are also found to enhance the energy loss for the test charge velocities greater than the dust acoustic speeds. The present investigation might be useful to explain the coagulation of dust particles such as those in molecular clouds, the interstellar medium, comet tails, planetary rings, etc.