On kinetic Alfven waves in a dusty plasma

The dispersion and damping of a dust-modified kinetic Alfven wave, and a lower frequency dust kinetic Alfven wave, is investigated in a dusty plasma comprising electrons, ions, and negative dust. it is found that, when dust dynamics is neglected, the presence of cold dust modifies the usual kinetic Alfven wave dispersion and damping owing to the inequality of the electron and ion densities. The dispersion relation of the dust kinetic Alfven wave, with frequency below the dust cyclotron frequency, depends on the density and temperature parameters of all three species, and the wave damping is due to both electrons and ions. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.