Modelling Gas And Dust Release From Comet Hale–Bopp |
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| Authors: | Prialnik D |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel |
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| Abstract: | Numerical simulations of the evolving activity of comet Hale-Bopp are presented, assuming a porous, spherical nucleus, 20
km in radius, made of dust and gas-laden amorphous ice. The main effects included are: crystallization of amorphous ice and
release of occluded gas, condensation, sublimation and flow of gases through the pores, changing pore sizes, and flow of dust
grains. The model parameters, such as initial pore size and porosity, emissivity, dust grain size, are varied in order to
match the observed activity. In all cases, a sharp rise in the activity of the nucleus occurs at a large heliocentric distance
pre-perihelion, marked by a few orders of magnitude increase in the CO and the CO2 fluxes and in the rate of dust emission. This is due to the onset of crystallization, advancing down to a few meters below
the surface, accompanied by release of the trapped gases. A period of sustained, but variable, activity ensues. The emission
of water molecules is found to surpass that of CO at a heliocentric distance of 3 AU. Thereafter the activity is largely determined
by the behaviour of the dust. If a dust mantle is allowed to build up, the water production rate does not increase dramatically
towards perihelion; if most of the dust is ejected, the surface activity increases rapidly, producing a very bright comet.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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| Keywords: | Comets: general comets: individual (Hale– Bopp 1995 O1)} |
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