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From Interstellar Dust to Comets: Distributed Co in Comet Halley

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Solar System Ices

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 227))

Abstract

Some simple molecules in comet comae like CO, C2, C3, CN, H2CO, +3 appear to be distributed in such a way that they are neither directly emitted from the nucleus surface nor created as daughter molecules from more complex gas phase species. The only remaining possible source is the organic component in comet dust. The requirements imposed on the comet dust grains by the distributed CO emission are that they be heated sufficiently to evaporate a large fraction of the more volatile fraction of the complex organic refractory molecules and that a large fraction of these contain CO groups. Approximating the size (mass) distribution of the comet dust by that derived for Comet Halley, and assuming that the refractory organics remaining on the silicate cores are the heating agent by solar radiation in fluffy aggregates of interstellar core-mantle particles, imposes a minimum dust porosity of 0.975 ≤ P ≤ 0.99. Such porosities are consistent with those required to account for the silicate and organic spectral emission by Comet Halley dust and imply comet nucleus densities of p < 0.3 gcm −3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory Astrophysics, University of Leiden, Postbus 9504, 2300 RA, Leiden, Netherlands

    J. Mayo Greenberg & Aigen Li

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  1. J. Mayo Greenberg
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  2. Aigen Li
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, Grenoble/Saint Martin d’Hères, France

    B. Schmitt

  2. Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France

    C. De Bergh

  3. Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France

    M. Festou

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Greenberg, J.M., Li, A. (1998). From Interstellar Dust to Comets: Distributed Co in Comet Halley. In: Schmitt, B., De Bergh, C., Festou, M. (eds) Solar System Ices. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 227. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5252-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5252-5_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6209-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5252-5

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