Limits on diffusive shock acceleration in dense and incompletely ionised media

The limits imposed on diffusive shock acceleration by upstream ion-neutral Alfven wave damping, and by ionisation and Coulomb losses of low energy particles, are calculated. Analytic solutions are given for the steady upstream wave excitation problem with ion-neutral damping and the resulting escaping upstream flux calculated. The time dependent problem is discussed and numerical solutions presented. Finally the significance of these results for possible observational tests of shock acceleration in supernova remnants is discussed.