Search Publications
Modeling of comet water production: I. Sensitivity to macro- and micro-model parameters
Küppers, M.; Hartogh, P.; Rezac, L. +3 more
Aims. This study investigates the impact of microscopic and macroscopic cometary surface properties on water production variations with heliocentric distance, focusing on dust layer thickness, grain size, nucleus shape, and spin axis orientation. Methods. We employed a two-layer thermophysical model to calculate effective gas production, incorpora…
Thermal environment and erosion of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Jorda, L.; Keller, H. U.; Groussin, O. +11 more
Aims. This paper focuses on how insolation affects the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko over its current orbit. We aim to better understand the thermal environment of the nucleus, in particular its surface temperature variations, erosion, relationship with topography, and how insolation affects the interior temperature for the location o…
The role of the hot porous layer in the gas flow in the inner coma
Küppers, M.; Thomas, N.; Rezac, L. +5 more
Aims. The objective of this work is to study the influence of a highly non-isothermal porous dust layer on the formation of a comet's inner coma. We studied the water gas activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to find a link between the gas properties around the comet and the properties of the dust surface crust. The effects on the radiative …
Production of linear alkanes via the solid-state hydrogenation of interstellar polyynes
Li, X.; Palumbo, M. E.; Chuang, K. -J. +2 more
Context. Highly unsaturated carbon chains, including polyynes, have been detected in many astronomical regions and planetary systems. With the success of the QUIJOTE survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1), the community has seen a "boom" in the number of detected carbon chains. On the other hand, the Rosetta mission revealed the release of…
Impact of radial interplanetary magnetic fields on the inner coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Hybrid simulations of the plasma environment
Goetz, Charlotte; Gunell, Herbert; Fatemi, Shahab
Context. The direction of the interplanetary magnetic field determines the nature of the interaction between a Solar System object and the solar wind. For comets, it affects the formation of both a bow shock and other plasma boundaries, as well as mass-loading. Around the nucleus of a comet, there is a diamagnetic cavity, where the magnetic field …
Dynamics and potential origins of decimeter-sized particles around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Agarwal, Jessica; Grieger, Björn; Marschall, Raphael +2 more
Context. One of the primary goals of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was to investigate the mechanisms responsible for cometary activity.
Aims: Our aim is to learn more about the ejection process of large refractory material by studying the dynamics of decimeter-sized dust particles in the coma o…
Ejection and dynamics of aggregates in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Agarwal, J.; Lemos, P.; Marschall, R. +1 more
Context. The process of gas-driven ejection of refractory materials from cometary surfaces continues to pose a challenging question in cometary science. The activity modeling of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, based on data from the Rosetta mission, has significantly enhanced our comprehension of cometary activity. But thermophysical models have …
Sufficiency of near-surface water ice as a driver of dust activity on comets: Rethinking the old enigma
Küppers, M.; Thomas, N.; Hartogh, P. +6 more
Context. Nearly all contemporary theoretical research on cometary dust activity relies on models depicting heat transfer and sublimation products within the near-surface porous layer. Gas flow exerts a pressure drag to the crust agglomerates, counteracting weak gravity and the tensile strength of that layer. Our interpretation of data from the Ros…
Sublimation of volatiles from H2O:CO2 bulk ices in the context of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. I. N2 and CO
Wurz, P.; Altwegg, K.; Rubin, M. +6 more
Context. Comets are considered to be remnants from the formation of the Solar System. ESA's Rosetta mission targeted comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and was able to record high-quality data on its chemical composition and outgassing behaviour, including low abundances of N2 that are observed to be correlated with H2O and CO
Sublimation of volatiles from H2O:CO2 bulk ices in the context of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. II. Noble gases
Wurz, P.; Altwegg, K.; Rubin, M. +6 more
Context. The ROSINA instrument on board the Rosetta spacecraft measured, among others, the outgassing of noble gases from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The interpretation of this dataset and unravelling underlying desorption mechanisms requires detailed laboratory studies.
Aims: We aim to improve our understanding of the desorption pattern…