Physics
Scientific paper
Oct 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002p%26ss...50.1215r&link_type=abstract
Planetary and Space Science, Volume 50, Issue 12-13, p. 1215-1219.
Physics
4
Scientific paper
We discuss the deuterium chemistry of cometary comae, and show how the fractionation observed in coma molecules relates to the D/H ratios in the nuclear ices. For most molecules, we find that the fractionation is unchanged in the coma. In addition, we calculate the potential effects of degradation of D-rich polymers/organic refractory material on selected gas-phase fractionation ratios. We demonstrate that for molecules known to have an extended coma source, the observed D/H ratios may not necessarily reflect those in the nuclear ice. The recent detection of water vapour in the stellar wind of the carbon-rich red giant /IRC+10°216 has been attributed to the vaporization of a remnant population of comets surrounding this evolved star. This theory would be confirmed by the detection of deuterated molecules in this object: as deuterium is destroyed in stars, any D-bearing molecules must originate from cometary or planetary objects. We quantitatively assess the possibility of detecting HDO in this source if such comets contain similar D/H ratios to those in our solar system, and show that the 111-000 transition at 894GHz is the most promising candidate for detection.
Charnley Steven B.
Rodgers S. D.
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