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Dynamic molecular oxygen production in cometary comae

Yao, Yunxi; Giapis, Konstantinos P.

Abundant molecular oxygen was discovered in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Its origin was ascribed to primordial gaseous O₂ incorporated into the nucleus during the comet's formation. This thesis was put forward after discounting several O₂ production mechanisms in comets, including photolysis and radiolysis of …