Infrared Observations of the Bright Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) - H2O, OH*, And Organic Volatile Composition

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High-dispersion (λ/Δλ 24,000) infrared spectra of Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) were acquired on Nov. 28, 2004, and Jan. 19, 2005 (UT dates) with NIRSPEC at Keck-2 on Mauna Kea. Very high signal-to-noise spectra, combined with improved (in both efficiency and performance) reduction and analysis algorithms, resulted in a rich data-base that provided new insights in several different areas. (1) Many strong H2O emission lines were detected, permitting retrieval of rotational temperatures and ortho-para ratios of cometary water for different projected distances from the nucleus. (2) Multiple OH* prompt emission lines were detected near Rh = 1.5 AU, further validating this emission as an indirect means to quantify H2O production in comets. (3) The relative populations for the Π(A'') and Π(A') Λ-doubling components showed a strong trend with rotational quantum number, consistent with laboratory studies of dissociatively excited OH. This could lead to improved understanding of H2O photodissociation dynamics in cometary atmospheres. (4) Detection of many organic species, including CH4, C2H2, C2H6, CH3OH, H2CO, CO, and HCN, simultaneously with H2O, allowed retrieval of accurate mixing ratios with respect to the principal parent volatile. We will present results highlighting these various applications of the C/2004 Q2 infrared data-base.
We gratefully acknowledge support from NASA Planetary Astronomy Program to M.J.M, M.A.D., and N.D.R., and from NSF-RUI to K.M-S.

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