Abstract
The model of the global electric circuit of the Earth (GECE) is considered, which is inseparably linked with the processes in space plasma. The Earth is surrounded by cosmic plasma consisting of electrons, ions, and negatively charged dust particles. Dust particles easily penetrate through the magnetic field and the atmosphere and charge the surface of the Earth negatively. The stationary electric state is achieved when the current carried by the negative dust particles and the current of positively charged ions accelerated in the surrounding plasma become equal. Positive ions penetrate into the atmosphere through the regions with the northern and southern latitudes to altitudes of the order of 100 km, where they become nonmagnetized and can move parallel to the surface of the Earth, performing additional ionization in the anomalous structure of the E-layer, and creating the fair-weather current (of approximately 1500 A). The ions forming the fair-weather current are uniformly deposited on the negatively charged surface of the Earth. Using the data on the average dust flux onto the Earth surface and the value of the fair-weather current, it was found that the mean size of a dust particle is rd ≈ 4 × 10–7 m, its mass is md ≈ 5 × 10–17 kg, and its charge is Qd ≈ 10–16 C. The formation, charging, and discharging of clouds, as well as the causes for the effect of cosmic dust on the Earth’s weather, are discussed in the paper.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
A. M. Uman, The Lightning Discharge (Academic Press, London, 1987).
V. M. Muchnik, Physics of Thunderstorms (Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad, 1974) [in Russian].
I. M. Imyanitov and K. S. Shifrin, Sov. Phys.–Usp. 5, 292 (1962).
E. M. Bazelyan and Yu. P. Raizer, Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection (Nauka, Moscow, 2001; IOP, Bristol, 2000).
E. A. Mareev and V. Yu. Trahtengerts, Priroda, No. 3, 24 (2007).
B. M. Smirnov, Phys.–Usp. 57, 1041 (2014).
A. A. Andreev, L. A. Kataev, and K. P. Komrakov, Geomagn. Aeron. 13, 1042 (1973).
Ya. L. Al’pert, Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves in the Ionosphere (Nauka, Moscow, 1972) [in Russian].
K. I. Gringauz, Sov. Phys.–Usp. 10, 385 (1967).
A. D. Danilov, Popular Aeronomy (Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad, 1989) [in Russian].
A. S. Kovtyuh, in Model of Cosmos, Ed. by M. I. Pa-nasyuk (Kn. dom Universitet, Moscow, 2007), Vol. 1, p. 456 [in Russian].
N. A. Vlasova, B. N. Knyazev, A. S. Kovtyuh, A. G. Kozlov, M. P. Panasuk, S. Ya. Raizman, E. N. Sosnovets, O. S. Grafodatskiy, and Sh. N. Islyaev, Kosm. Issled. 22, 53 (1984).
R. D. Cande, Particles in Atmosphere and Space (Reinhold, New York, 1966).
J. S. Mathis, I. W. Rumpl, and K. H. Nordsieck, Astrophys. J. 217, 425 (1977).
F. H. Ludman, Usp. Fiz. Nauk 65, 407 (1958).
A. P. Boyarkina, N. V. Vasil’ev, and G. G. Gluhov, Space Matter and Earth (Nauka (Novosibirskii filial), Novosibirsk, 1986) [in Russian].
A. F. Grachev, Fiz. Zemli, No. 11, 3 (2010).
R. H. Huddlestone and S. L. Leonard, Plasma Diagnostic Techniques (Academic Press, San Diego, 1965).
V. E. Fortov, A. G. Khrapak, S. A. Khrapak, V. I. Molotkov, and O. F. Petrov, Phys.–Usp. 47, 447 (2004).
A. Piel, Plasma Physics (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2010).
A. Keiling, I. R. Wygant, C. Cattell, M. Johnson, M. Temerin, F. S. Mozer, C. A. Kletzing, J. Scudder, and C. T. Russell, J. Geophys. Res. 106, 5779 (2001).
A. I. Rusanov, Sov. Phys. Dokl. 23, 250 (1978).
A. A. Varfolomeev, M. E. Gushchin, S. V. Korobkov, A. V. Kostrov, Y. P. Palochkin, S. E. Priver, D. A. Odzerikho, and A. V. Strikovskii, Tech. Phys. Lett. 41, 14 (2015).
Ion wind, in Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_wind.
V. E. Fortov, A. G. Khrapak, and I. T. Yakubov, Physics of Nonideal Plasma (Fizmatlit, Moscow, 2004) [in Russian].
A. Thornton, K. S. Virts, R. H. Holzworth, and T. P. Mitchell, Geophys. Res. Lett. 44, 9102 (2017).
D. Barry, Ball Lightning and Bead Lightning (Plenum press, New York, 1980).
E. M. Bazelyan and Yu. P. Raizer, Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection (Fizmatlit, Moscow, 2001; IOP Publishing, Bristol, 2000).
B. Yu. Levin, Physical Theory of Meteors and Meteoric Matter in the Solar System (Izd. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Moscow, 1956) [in Russian].
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Translated by I. Grishina
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kostrov, A.V. Cosmic Dusty Plasma and the Global Electric Circuit of the Earth. Plasma Phys. Rep. 46, 443–451 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X20040066
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X20040066