[ExI] Chips The Size Of[interplanetary] Dust [and matrioshka brains]

[Amara Graps]

>Last spring, I was at a lecture by Dawkins.  At dinner afterwards, Amara
>made an offhanded comment that has rattled around in my brain.  She said
>that interplanetary space carries a small net electrical charge.

Oops! Did I say that? How many glasses of wine did I drink ? ;-)

If you mean interplanetary dust instead of interplanetary space, then
yes, the dust particles are usually charged 1-10 Volts.

But if you really mean interplanetary space, which is another
expression for "plasma", then no, overall the plasma is neutral
(by definition).

Amara

-- 

Amara Graps, PhD      www.amara.com
Associate Research Scientist, Planetary Science Institute (PSI), Tucson
INAF Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario (IFSI), Roma, Italia