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1.
T.Y Brooke  H.A Weaver  G Chin  S.J Kim 《Icarus》2003,166(1):167-187
High resolution infrared spectra of Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) were obtained during 2-5 March 1997 UT from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, when the comet was at r≈1.0 AU from the Sun pre-perihelion. Emission lines of CH4, C2H6, HCN, C2H2, CH3OH, H2O, CO, and OH were detected. The rotational temperature of CH4 in the inner coma was Trot=110±20 K. Spatial profiles of CH4, C2H6, and H2O were consistent with release solely from the nucleus. The centroid of the CO emission was offset from that of the dust continuum and H2O. Spatial profiles of the CO lines were much broader than those of the other molecules and asymmetric. We estimate the CO production rate using a simplified outflow model: constant, symmetric outflow from the peak position. A model of the excitation of CO that includes optical depth effects using an escape probability method is presented. Optical depth effects are not sufficient to explain the broad spatial extent. Using a parent+extended-source model, the broad extent of the CO lines can be explained by CO being produced mostly (∼90% on 5 March) from an extended source in the coma. The CO rotational temperature was near 100 K. Abundances relative to H2O (in percent) were 1.1±0.3 (CH4), 0.39±0.10 (C2H6), 0.18±0.04 (HCN), 0.17±0.04 (C2H2), 1.7±0.5 (CH3OH), and 37-41 (CO, parent+extended source). These are roughly comparable to those obtained for other long-period comets also observed in the infrared, though CO appears to vary.  相似文献   

2.
We measured the chemical composition of Comet C/2007 W1 (Boattini) using the long-slit echelle grating spectrograph at Keck-2 (NIRSPEC) on 2008 July 9 and 10. We sampled 11 volatile species (H2O, OH, C2H6, CH3OH, H2CO, CH4, HCN, C2H2, NH3, NH2, and CO), and retrieved three important cosmogonic indicators: the ortho-para ratios of H2O and CH4, and an upper-limit for the D/H ratio in water. The abundance ratios of almost all trace volatiles (relative to water) are among the highest ever observed in a comet. The comet also revealed a complex outgassing pattern, with some volatiles (the polar species H2O and CH3OH) presenting very asymmetric spatial profiles (extended in the anti-sunward hemisphere), while others (e.g., C2H6 and HCN) showed particularly symmetric profiles. We present emission profiles measured along the Sun-comet line for all observed volatiles, and discuss different production scenarios needed to explain them. We interpret the emission profiles in terms of release from two distinct moieties of ice, the first being clumps of mixed ice and dust released from the nucleus into the sunward hemisphere. The second moiety considered is very small grains of nearly pure polar ice (water and methanol, without dark material or apolar volatiles). Such grains would sublimate only very slowly, and could be swept into the anti-sunward hemisphere by radiation pressure and solar-actuated non-gravitational jet forces, thus providing an extended source in the anti-sunward hemisphere.  相似文献   

3.
C/2006 P1 McNaught is a dynamically new comet from the Oort cloud that passed very close to the Sun, driving overall volatile production rates up to about 1031 molecules s−1. Post-perihelion observations were obtained in a target-of-opportunity campaign using the CSHELL instrument at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii, on UT 2007 January 27 and 28. Eight parent volatiles (H2O, CH4, C2H2, C2H6, HCN, CO, NH3, H2CO) and two daughter fragments (OH and NH2) were detected, enabling the determination of a rotational temperature and production rate for H2O on UT January 27 and absolute and relative production rates for all the detected parent species on UT January 28. The chemical composition measured in the coma suggests that this close perihelion passage stripped off processed outer surface layers, likely exposing relatively fresh primordial material during these observations. The post-perihelion abundances we measure for CO and CH4 (relative to H2O) are slightly depleted while C2H2, NH2 and possibly NH3 are enhanced when compared to the overall comet population. Measured abundances for other detected molecular species were within the range typically observed in comets.  相似文献   

4.
We used the NIRSPEC instrument on the Keck-2 telescope atop Mauna Kea, HI to observe Comet C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) in a Target of Opportunity campaign on UT 2001 July 9.5, 10.5 August 4.4, 10.5. We measured seven organic parent volatiles (C2H6, C2H2, HCN, CH4, CO, CH3OH, H2CO) simultaneously with H2O. We obtained absolute production rates and relative abundances for parent volatiles, and also measured rotational temperatures for several of these species. The chemical composition of C/2001 A2 differs substantially from any comet we have observed to date. The abundances we measure (relative to H2O) for C2H6, C2H2, HCN, and CH3OH are enriched by a factor of ∼2 to 3 in C/2001 A2 compared with most comets in our database. Other molecular species were detected within the typical range of measured abundances. C/2001 A2 presented a unique opportunity to study the chemistry of a fragmenting comet where pristine areas are exposed to the Sun.  相似文献   

5.
We investigated the parent volatile composition of the Oort cloud Comet C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR) on 23-25 November 2001, using the Near Infrared Echelle Spectrograph on the Keck II telescope. Flux-calibrated spectra, absolute production rates, and mixing ratios are presented for H2O, HCN, CH4, C2H2, C2H6, H2CO, CH3OH and CO. Compared with “organics-normal” comets, WM1 is moderately depleted in HCN, CH4 and CH3OH, and is even more depleted in C2H2 and CO. Its composition is thus intermediate to comets that are severely depleted in their organic volatile composition and those that exhibit “normal” organic volatile abundances. We argue that WM1 may have formed closer to the young Sun than “organics-normal” comets, but at greater distance than the severely depleted comets, before its ejection to the Oort cloud. The mixing ratios of the above-listed organic volatiles agree day-by-day for 23-25 November 2001. Thus, there is no evidence of macroscopic heterogeneity in chemistry of this comet’s nucleus at the achieved measurement accuracy. As the first comet to show moderate organic depletion in parent volatiles, WM1 represents an important addition to the emerging taxonomic classification based on chemical composition.  相似文献   

6.
We report high-spectral resolution observations of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 before, during and after the impact on 4 July 2005 UT of the Deep Impact spacecraft with the comet. These observations were obtained with the HIRES instrument on Keck 1. We observed brightening of both the dust and gas, but at different rates. We report the behavior of OH, NH, CN, C3, CH, NH2 and C2 gas. From our observations, we determined a CN outflow velocity of at least 0.51 km s−1. The dust color did not change substantially. To date, we see no new species in our spectra, nor do we see any evidence of prompt emission. From our observations, the interior material released by the impact looks the same as the material released from the surface by ambient cometary activity. However, further processing of the data may uncover subtle differences in the material that is released as well as the time evolution of this material.  相似文献   

7.
In order to understand the cometary plasma environment it is important to track the closely linked chemical reactions that dominate ion evolution. We used a coupled MHD ion-chemistry model to analyze previously unpublished Giotto High Intensity Ion Mass Spectrometer (HIS-IMS) data. In this way we study the major species, but we also try to match some minor species like the CHx and the NHx groups. Crucial for this match is the model used for the electrons since they are important for ion-electron recombination. To further improve our results we included an enhanced density of supersonic electrons in the ion pile-up region which increases the local electron impact ionization. In this paper we discuss the results for the following important ions: C+, CH+, CH+2, CH+3, N+, NH+, NH+2, NH+3, NH+4, O+, OH+, H2O+, H3O+, CO+, HCO+, H3CO+, and CH3OH+2. We also address the inner shock which is very distinctive in our MHD model as well as in the IMS data. It is located just inside the contact surface at approximately 4550 km. Comparisons of the ion bulk flow directions and velocities from our MHD model with the data measured by the HIS-IMS give indication for a solar wind magnetic field direction different from the standard Parker angle at Halley's position. Our ion-chemical network model results are in a good agreement with the experimental data. In order to achieve the presented results we included an additional short lived inner source for the C+, CH+, and CH+2 ions. Furthermore we performed our simulations with two different production rates to better match the measurements which is an indication for a change and/or an asymmetric pattern (e.g. jets) in the production rate during Giotto's fly-by at Halley's comet.  相似文献   

8.
We present the results of a program of comet long-slit spectroscopy with the Kast Dual Spectrograph on the 3-m Shane Telescope at Lick Observatory. A total of 26 comets, from a variety of dynamical families, were observed on 39 different nights from 1996 to 2007. A new statistical method extracted the twilight sky from comet frames, because traditional sky subtraction techniques were inadequate. Because previously published Haser model parent and daughter scale lengths did not fit the data well, unbiased ranges of scale lengths were searched for the best-fitting pairs. Coma gas production rates for OH, CN, C2, C3, NH, NH2, and OH confirmed the widely reported carbon-chain depletion for a sub-class of comets, most notably high-perihelion Jupiter-family comets observed at rh > 1.5 AU, with different behaviors for C2 and C3. Our long-slit spectroscopy data was also adapted for the A(θ) dust production parameter. The assumption that A(θ) is constant throughout the nucleus was not upheld. High dust-to-gas ratios for comets with large perihelia were not a selection effect, and suggest that the dust was released earlier in the formation of the coma than the gas. The dust-to-gas ratio did not exhibit any evolutionary traces between different comet dynamical families. The comet survey illuminates the diversity among comets, including the unusually carbon poor Comet 96P/Machholz.  相似文献   

9.
Uwe Fink 《Icarus》2009,201(1):311-334
A summary is presented of our spectroscopic survey of comets extending for roughly 19 years from 1985 to 2004 comprising data for 92 comets of which 50 showed good emissions. All data were re-analyzed using consistent reduction techniques. Our observations of comets over several apparitions and comets observed over an extended period indicate no major changes in compositional classification. To our regret, no major unidentified cometary features were found in our surveyed spectral region of 5200-10400 Å. Absolute production rates for the dominant parent molecule H2O and the daughter species C2, NH2 and CN are determined within the limits of the Haser model as are values for the dust continuum, Afρ. From these data, production rate ratios are calculated for C2/H2O, NH2/H2O, CN/H2O and Afρ/H2O. Excluding the odd Comets Yanaka (1988r), 43P/Wolf-Harrington and 19P/Borrelly, with unusual spectra, our set of comets exhibited relatively uniform composition. Detailed analyses of our data resulted in four taxonomic classes:
-
Comets of typical composition (∼70%); exhibiting typical ratios with respect to water of C2, NH2, and CN.
-
Tempel 1 type (∼22%); having a deficiency in C2 but normal NH2 abundance.
-
G-Z type (∼6%); having both low C2 and NH2 ratios.
-
The unusual object Yanaka (1988r) (∼2%?); no detectable C2 or CN emission but normal NH2.
It is uncertain whether there is a clear separation between the comets of typical composition and those with C2 depletion, or whether the latter consists of a group showing a continuum of decreasing C2/CN ratios. Our spectroscopic investigations result in a visual record of the various compositional classes, which are illustrated in a number of figures. Production rate comparisons with the comet photometry program of Schleicher and A'Hearn [A'Hearn, M.F., and 4 colleagues, 1995. Icarus 118, 223-270] for 13 comets in common yielded good agreement once the different scale lengths are taken into account. An investigation into the possible origin of our compositional groups with respect to dynamical families of comets shows that the Halley family exhibits essentially no C2 depletion. These objects were presumably formed in the region of Saturn and Uranus and scattered into the Oort cloud. Comets formed in the space near Neptune, responsible for the scattered Kuiper Belt show a mixture of “typical” and C2 depleted objects, while we associate comets formed in-situ in the classical Kuiper belt with our C2 depleted group.  相似文献   

10.
We calculate the amount of methane that may form via reactions catalyzed by metal-rich dust that condenses in the wake of large cometary impacts. Previous models of the gas-phase chemistry of impacts predicted that the terrestrial planets' atmospheres should be initially dominated by CO/CO2, N2, and H2O. CH4 was not predicted to form in impacts because gas-phase reactions in the explosion quench at temperatures ∼2000 K, at which point all of the carbon is locked in CO. We argue that the dust that condenses out in the wake of a large comet impact is likely to have very effective catalytic properties, opening up reaction pathways to convert CO and H2 to CH4 and CO2, at temperatures of a few hundred K. Together with CO2, CH4 is an important greenhouse gas that has been invoked to compensate for the lower luminosity of the Sun ∼4 Gyr ago. Here, we show that heterogeneous (gas-solid) reactions on freshly-recondensed dust in the impact cloud may provide a plausible nonbiological mechanism for reducing CO to CH4 before and during the emergence of life on Earth, and perhaps Mars as well. These encouraging results emphasize the importance of future research into the kinetics and catalytic properties of astrophysical condensates or “smokes” and also more detailed models to determine the conditions in impact-generated dust clouds.  相似文献   

11.
A new quasi three-dimensional code is presented and used to explore the thermal evolution of non-spherical-shape cometary nuclei. Calculations are done for spherical nuclei with different obliquities, spherical nuclei with crater-like depressions and spheroid-shape nuclei. The results obtained for both the gas and dust fluxes agree with previous simulations. Local dust crust formation can occur when the comet is located far from the Sun (around 3.5 AU), creating active and inactive areas on the surface. For a given set of parameters, the H2O production rate is comparable to the one observed for comets. A pre-post-perihelion asymmetry exists for H2O, CO2 and CO production rates. It is shown that crater-like depressions can be erased within the lifetime of a comet and that spheroid-shape nuclei have a higher production rate than equal area spherical nuclei.  相似文献   

12.
Detections and upper limits to the continuum emission (1 ≤ λ ≤6 cm) and spectral line emission (OH, CO, CS, HCN, HCO+, CN, CH3CN, CH3C2H, NH3, H2O, HC3N, CH3CH2CN) are reported from radio observations of Comets 1983d and 1983e. Comparison is made with observations of CN at optical wavelengths. These results may be useful in planning future cometary observations.  相似文献   

13.
We obtained spectra of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) with the UAGS spectrograph(long slit and CCD) installed on the 1-m Zeiss reflector of the SAO of the RAS(Northern Caucuses, Nizhny Arkhyz) on July 23/24, 26/27 and 27/28, 2000. OnJuly 22/23, before the splitting of the cometary nucleus, several emission lines,such as C2, C3, CN, NH, CH, NH2, CO+, H2O+ wereclearly identified in the spectra. The inspections of the CCD spectra obtainedon July 27/28, 2000 reveals only very weak emission lines superimposed on thesolar reflection spectrum. From analyzing the surface brightness profile of C2 along the slit the velocity of separation of two secondary fragments (V = 10 km/h) and the energy of the fragment separation (E = 8.7 × 1015 erg) were estimated. A luminescence cometary continuum of 26% of the total continuum level is detected in the spectra of the comet at 5000 Å. Possible mechanisms of nucleus splitting are discussed.  相似文献   

14.
Volatile organic emissions were detected post-perihelion in the long-period Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN) in October and November 2006. Our study combines target-of-opportunity infrared observations using the Cryogenic Echelle Spectrometer (CSHELL) at the NASA-IRTF 3-m telescope, and millimeter wavelength observations using the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) 12-m telescope. Five parent volatiles were measured with CSHELL (H2O, CO, CH3OH, CH4, and C2H6), and two additional species (HCN and CS) were measured with the ARO 12-m. These revealed highly depleted CO and somewhat enriched CH3OH compared with abundances observed in the dominant group of long-period (Oort cloud) comets in our sample and similar to those observed recently in Comet 8P/Tuttle. This may indicate highly efficient H-atom addition to CO at very low temperature (∼10-20 K) on the surfaces of interstellar (pre-cometary) grains. Comet C/2006 M4 had nearly “normal” C2H6 and CH4, suggesting a processing history similar to that experienced by the dominant group. When compared with estimated water production at the time of the millimeter observations, HCN was slightly depleted compared with the normal abundance in comets based on IR observations but was consistent with the majority of values from the millimeter. The ratio CS/HCN in C/2006 M4 was within the range measured in ten comets at millimeter wavelengths. The higher apparent H-atom conversion efficiency compared with most comets may indicate that the icy grains incorporated into C/2006 M4 were exposed to higher H-atom densities, or alternatively to similar densities but for a longer period of time.  相似文献   

15.
T.A. Ellis 《Icarus》2008,194(1):357-367
Intensity profiles were obtained for the C2 and CN emission and blue continuum of Comet Bradfield (1987s), from observations obtained over a 10 week period starting shortly before perihelion. Model intensity profiles were produced and then fitted to the observed profiles, and used to put constraints on some of the dust and gas parameters. Most of these parameters, including the gas and dust outflow speeds from the cometary nucleus and the molecular lifetimes, were consistent with expected values. The best fitting models incorporate significant dust particle fragmentation and extended emission of CN from dust, both occurring in the inner coma. In addition, although there may have been enhancement of gas and dust emission on the sunward side of the cometary nucleus, it appears that the tailward side maintained a significant level of activity.  相似文献   

16.
S.M. Lederer  H. Campins  D.J. Osip 《Icarus》2009,199(2):477-843
We describe a 3-dimensional, time-dependent Monte Carlo model developed to analyze the chemical and physical nature of a cometary gas coma. Our model includes the necessary physics and chemistry to recreate the conditions applicable to Comet Hale-Bopp when the comet was near 1 AU from the Sun. Two base models were designed and are described here. The first is an isotropic model that emits particles (parents of the observed gases) from the entire nucleus; the second is a jet model that ejects parent particles solely from discrete active areas on the surface of the comet nucleus, resulting in coma jets. The two models are combined to produce the final model, which is compared with observations. The physical processes incorporated in both base models include: (1) isotropic ejection of daughter molecules (the observed gases) in the parent's frame of reference, (2) solar radiation pressure, (3) solar insolation effects, (4) collisions of daughter products with other molecules in the coma, and (5) acceleration of the gas in the coma. The observed daughter molecules are produced when a parent decays, which is represented by either an exponential decay distribution (photodissociation of the parent gas) or a triangular distribution (production from a grain extended source). Application of this model to the analysis the OH, C2 and CN gas jets observed in the coma of Comet Hale-Bopp is the focus of the accompanying paper [Lederer, S.M., Campins, H., Osip, D.J., 2008. Icarus, in press (this issue)].  相似文献   

17.
We present a comparative study on molecular abundances in comets basedon millimetre/submillimetre observations made with the IRAM 30-m,JCMT, CSO and SEST telescopes. This study concerns a sample of 24comets (6 Jupiter-family, 3 Halley-family, 15 long-period) observedfrom 1986 to 2001 and 8 molecular species (HCN, HNC, CH3CN,CH3OH, H2CO, CO, CS, H2S). HCN was detected in all comets,while at least 2 molecules were detected in 19 comets. From the sub-sample of comets for which contemporary H2O productionrates are available, we infer that the HCN abundance relative to water variesfrom 0.08% to 0.25%. With respect to other species, HCN is the moleculewhich exhibits the lowest abundance variation from comet to comet. Therefore,production rates relative to that of HCN can be used for a comparative study ofmolecular abundances in the 19 comets. It is found that: CH3OH/HCN varies from ≤ 9 to 64; CO/HCN varies from ≤ 24 to 180; H2CO/HCN varies between 1.6 and 10; and H2S/HCN varies between 1.5 and 7.6. This study does not show any clear correlation between the relative abundancesand the dynamical origins of the comets, or their dust-to-gas ratios.  相似文献   

18.
E.L. Gibb  M.J. Mumma  M.A. DiSanti 《Icarus》2003,165(2):391-406
We detected CH4 in eight Oort cloud comets using high-dispersion (λλ∼2×104) infrared spectra acquired with CSHELL at NASA's IRTF and NIRSPEC at the W.M. Keck Observatory. The observed comets were C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), C/1999 H1 (Lee), C/1999 T1 (McNaught-Hartley), C/1999 S4 (LINEAR), C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR), C/2001 A2 (LINEAR), and 153/P Ikeya-Zhang (C/2002 C1). We detected the R0 and R1 lines of the ν3 vibrational band of CH4 near 3.3 μm in each comet, with the exception of McNaught-Hartley where only the R0 line was measured. In order to obtain production rates, a fluorescence model has been developed for this band of CH4. We report g-factors for the R0 and R1 transitions at several rotational temperatures typically found in comet comae and relevant to our observations. Using g-factors appropriate to Trot as determined from HCN, CO and/or H2O and C2H6, CH4 production rates and mixing ratios are presented. Abundances of CH4/H2O are compared among our existing sample of comets, in the context of establishing their place of origin. In addition, CH4 is compared to native CO, another hypervolatile species, and no correlation is found among the comets observed.  相似文献   

19.
We present near-IR (2.2-2.4 μm) reflectance and transmittance spectra of frozen (16 and 77 K) methanol (CH3OH) and water-methanol (1:1) mixtures before and after irradiation with 30 keV He+ and 200 keV H+ ions. Spectra of other simple hydrocarbons (CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6) and CO have also been obtained both to help in the identification of the new molecules formed after ion irradiation of methanol-rich ices, and to get insight into the question of the presence of simple frozen hydrocarbons on the surface of some objects in the outer Solar System. The results confirm what obtained by studies performed in different spectral ranges, namely the ion-induced formation of CO and CH4, and, for the first time, evidence a strong decrease of the intensity of the methanol band at about 2.34 μm in comparison with that at 2.27 μm. The results are discussed in view of their relevance for icy objects in the Solar System (namely comets, Centaurs, and Kuiper belt objects) where CH3OH has been observed or suggested to be present.  相似文献   

20.
The discovery of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) at 7 AU from the Sun provided the first opportunity to follow the activity of a bright comet over a large range of heliocentric distances rh. Production rates of a number of parent molecules and daughter species have been monitored both pre- and postperihelion. CO was found to be the major driver of the activity far from the Sun, surpassed by water within 3 AU whose production rate reached 1031 s−1 at perihelion. Gas production curves obtained for various species show several behaviours with rh. Gas production curves contain important information concerning the physical state of cometary ices, the structure of the nucleus and all the processes taking place inside the nucleus leading to outgassing. They are relevant to the study of several other phenomena such as the sublimation from icy grains, dust mantling or seasonal effects. For some species, such as H2CO or HNC, they permit to constrain their origin in the coma. We discuss models of subsurface gas production in distant comets and predictions of how such a source may vary as the comet moves along its orbit, approaching perihelion and receding again. Features in the observed gas production curves of comet Hale-Bopp are generally interpretable in terms of either subsurface production (typical example: CO at large rh) or free sublimation (typical example: H2O). Possible implications for the vertical stratification of the cometary ices are reviewed, and preference is found for a model with crystallization of amorphous ice close to the nuclear surface. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

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