Suprathermal rotation of interstellar grains

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Abstract
Previous studies of suprathermal rotation of interstellar dust grains are reviewed. Causes and consequences of internal dissipation of rotational energy are discussed, and consequences of suprathermal rotation for grain alignment are considered. The statistics of suprathermal rotation are studied under the assumption that, on a long time scale, residual torque is a random function of time with a correlation time that is some measure of the permanence of grain irregularities. The dependence of the mean energy of suprathermal rotation and of the mean time between crossovers on correlation time is determined. The effect of suprathermal rotation on the magnetic alignment of interstellar grains is also investigated.

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