Multi-dimensional instability of electrostatic solitary structures in magnetized nonthermal dusty plasmas

A rigorous theoretical investigation has been made of multi-dimensional instability of obliquely propagating electrostatic solitary structures in a hot, magnetized, non-thermal dusty plasma which consists of a negatively charged hot dust fluid, Boltzmann distributed electrons and nonthermally distributed ions. The Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation for the electrostatic solitary structures that exist in such a dusty plasma system is derived by the reductive perturbation method. The multidimensional instability of these solitary waves is also studied by the small-k (long wavelength plane wave) perturbation expansion method. The nature of these solitary structures, the instability criterion and their growth rate depending on dust-temperature, external magnetic field and obliqueness are discussed. The implications of these results to some space and astrophysical dusty plasma situations are briefly mentioned. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.