Other
Scientific paper
May 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21424203r&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #214, #242.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.744
Other
Scientific paper
I will review theoretical models of the chemistry in comets. Gas phase reactions in the coma can synthesize new molecules from the original `parent' or `native' species present in the icy nucleus, and must be understood if we are to interpret the nucleus composition from coma observations. I will discuss the importance of ion-molecule reactions in controlling the cation abundances detected via in-situ mass spectrometry by space missions to comets, and I will also describe the potential importance of highly energetic photo-produced H atoms and electrons in driving endothermic `suprathermal' reactions in the coma. Chemical reactions also provide sources and sinks of mass, momentum and energy for the neutral, ion and electron fluids in the coma, and must be accounted for in detailed physical models of the coma dynamics and energetics. The chemical composition of the coma is also determined by the relative sublimation rates of molecules with different volatilities, and I will discuss the development of thermo-chemical nucleus models to calculate the heat and gas diffusion through the porous nucleus.
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