Dipole moments on dust particles immersed in anisotropic plasmas.

The process of dust particulate charging in plasmas is investigated in the presence of bulk drift velocities. An accurate self-consistent particle-in-cell simulation method is used. The results show the presence of dipole moments on dielectric dust particles. This effect is relevant to studies of dust coagulation, as it can enhance the coagulation rate. A theoretical analysis of the effect is presented. The theory represents correctly the relevant physical processes and provides a good estimation of the charge and the dipole moment on dust particles. {copyright} {ital 1995 The American Physical Society.}