Physics
Scientific paper
Jun 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005sptz.prop20104w&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #20104
Physics
Scientific paper
Spitzer observations of Oort cloud (OC) comets during their sojourns through the solar system investigate the interplay between dust grain properties and activity with heliocentric distance. We propose a 26.6 hr multi-cycle program [85% IRS and 15% IRAC/MIPS] to observe two OC comets whose combined heliocentric distance-range, restricted by visibility windows, spans 2-6 AU: Comet C/2004 B1 (LINEAR) [B1] at 2.2 AU pre-, 2.0 AU post-, 2.6-3.0AU post-, and 4.8-6.0 AU post-perihelion; and comet C/2003 T4 (LINEAR) [T4] at 3.2 < r_h < 4.8AU post-perihelion. By fitting Spitzer IRS spectra plus IRAC or MIPS images with models, we aim to constrain and compare the grain properties in comae during three stages of cometary activity: 1) distant activity (>7-5 AU), 2) coma onset (6-4 AU), and 3) vigorous activity (<3-4 AU). During all three stages of activity, some molecular species (e.g., CO) have significant contributions from distributed (non-nuclear) sources, suggested to arise from an unknown grain component. Our investigation will characterize the grains that are potential carriers of the distributed sources. By modeling multi-epoch observations, we investigate the potentially crucial roles that grains play in warming volatile ices and in the nature of distributed coma sources, and the role gas production plays in transporting grains into the coma. Understanding the nature of distributed sources and investigating the co-dependence of grain properties and activity (dust production rates) are essential to translating coma abundances into nuclear abundances. The compositions of cometary nuclei reveal the physical processes and conditions in the solar nebula during icy planetismal formation.
Beer-Harari Ealeal
Biver Nicolas
Boehnhardt Hermann
Butner Harold
Ehrenfreund Pascale
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