Search Publications

Impact of radial interplanetary magnetic fields on the inner coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Hybrid simulations of the plasma environment
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348186 Bibcode: 2024A&A...682A..62G

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 …

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 3
Dynamics and potential origins of decimeter-sized particles around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202346380 Bibcode: 2024A&A...685A.136P

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…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 3
Ejection and dynamics of aggregates in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348692 Bibcode: 2024A&A...687A.289L

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 …

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 2
Sufficiency of near-surface water ice as a driver of dust activity on comets: Rethinking the old enigma
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449433 Bibcode: 2024A&A...689A.131S

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…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 2
Sublimation of volatiles from H2O:CO2 bulk ices in the context of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. I. N2 and CO
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449434 Bibcode: 2024A&A...686A.102K

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

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 2
Sublimation of volatiles from H2O:CO2 bulk ices in the context of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. II. Noble gases
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449554 Bibcode: 2024A&A...687A..78L

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…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 2
Phase angle dependence of the dust cross section in a cometary coma. A simple numerical model
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449202 Bibcode: 2024A&A...686A.273K

Agarwal, J.; Markkanen, J.; Keiser, F.

Context. Rosetta/OSIRIS took optical measurements of the intensity of scattered light from the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko over a wide range of phase angles. These data have been used to measure the phase angle dependent radiance profile of the dust coma.
Aims: We want to provide information about the column area densities of the dust c…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 1
Varying water activity and momentum transfer on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from its non-gravitational forces and torques
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202450728 Bibcode: 2024A&A...690A..82A

Keller, H. U.; Groussin, O.; Attree, N. +9 more

Aims. We investigate the ability of a simultaneous fitting of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's non-gravitational forces, torques, and total water-outgassing rate, as observed by Rosetta, to constrain complex thermophysical models of cometary material. Methods. We extend the previous work of fitting geographically defined surface outgassing models…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 1
LBM-DEM modeling of particle-fluid interactions on active small solar bodies
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449759 Bibcode: 2024A&A...691A.265W

Wang, Qiujun; Cheng, Bin; Baoyin, Hexi +1 more

Context. Aeolian-like surface features observed on small Solar System bodies have piqued interest in their underlying formation mechanisms. Understanding the evolution of fluid-solid interactions is crucial for elucidating the nature of cometary activity. Aims. We established a resolved fluid-particle simulation approach and implemented it into ou…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 0
Upper limit of the solar wind protons backscattering efficiency from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348684 Bibcode: 2024A&A...683A.245C

Wieser, Martin; Wieser, Gabriella Stenberg; Canu-Blot, Romain

Context. Solar wind ions backscattering is a fundamental plasma-surface interaction process that may occur on all celestial bodies exposed to the solar wind and lacking a significant atmosphere or magnetosphere. Yet, observations have been limited to the regolith-covered Moon and Phobos, one of the Martian moons.
Aims: We aim to expand our kn…

2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rosetta 0