Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jul 1987
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1987a%26a...181..169b&link_type=abstract
Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 181, no. 1, July 1987, p. 169-181.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
61
Astronomical Models, Cometary Atmospheres, Infrared Radiation, Molecular Excitation, Water, Comet Nuclei, Molecular Collisions, Molecular Oscillations, Radiant Flux Density, Submillimeter Waves, Comets, Water, Models, Excitation, Rotation, Vibration, Solar Radiation, Atmosphere, Infrared, Wavelengths, Thermal Effects, Collisions, Escape, Radiative Transfer, Distribution, Comet Nuclei, Distance, Calculations, Parameters, Ions, Electrons, Fluorescence, Emissions, Spectra
Scientific paper
The vibrational and rotational excitation of the H2O molecule in cometary atmospheres is investigated using a model which includes infrared vibrational pumping by the solar radiation flux, thermal excitation by collisions, and radiation trapping in the rotational and rovibrational lines. The escape probability formalism is used for solving the radiative transfer problem. Steady state is not assumed in the rate equations, and the H2O rotational population distribution is computed as a function of distance to nucleus. The rotational line intensities are evaluated for an unresolved coma observed at a distance of 1 AU: several submillimeter lines should be easily detectable in moderately bright comets with cooled space telescopes such as ISO or FIRST. The model fails to explain the 6(16)-5(23)H2O radio line tentatively detected in two comets. Synthetic spectra and line intensities of the nu2 and nu3 bands are computed for typical observing conditions and instruments which are ground-based, in earth orbit, or aboard space probes.
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