On the rotation of a dust particulate in an ion flow in a magnetic field

Spinning motion of a charged test dust particulate placed in a plasma sheath is studied. The shear of the ion flow velocity in the sheath is found to be responsible for a self-rotation of the particulate, resulting in a formation of a magnetic dipole moment. The presence of an external magnetic field will cause the spinning dust particulate to precess around the magnetic field direction, while the particulate will experience the cyclotron motion. The spinning frequency is on the order of 10 Hz, while the precession is much slower for the laboratory dust experimental conditions.