Solar pressure and molecular decay in cometary atmospheres

Details Solar pressure and molecular decay in cometary atmospheres Solar pressure and molecular decay in cometary atmospheres

Aug 1985

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1985apj...295..668b&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 295, Aug. 15, 1985, p. 668-677.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

1

Cometary Atmospheres, Molecular Interactions, Pressure Effects, Radiation Pressure, Solar Planetary Interactions, Brightness Distribution, Carbon, Comet Nuclei, Cyanogen, Photodissociation

Scientific paper

The effects of solar pressure and molecular decay on number density in cometary atmospheres are rigorously separated and scale lengths for each are determined from an analysis of observed brightness profiles in the solar and antisolar directions. It is found that the pressure scale length of CN is approximately 160,000 km and that of C2 is approximately 110,000 km. The scale length for molecular decay, heretofore incorrectly inferred from the observational data, is approximately 3 times as long as the pressure scale lengths. It is difficult to determine adequately from observations that extend no more than about 100,000 km from the comet nucleus. The scale length for molecular decay by photodissociation or whatever cause is found to be about 350,000 km for C2 and 500,000 km for CN.

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