High-Time Resolution In-situ Investigation of Major Cometary Volatiles around 67P/C-G at 3.1 - 2.3 AU Measured with ROSINA-RTOF

Urs Mall (1) , Kathrin Altwegg (2, 3) , Hans Balsiger (2) , A. Bar-Nun (4) , Jean-Jacques Berthelier (5) , André Bieler (6) , Peter Bochsler (2) , Christelle Briois (7) , Ursina Calmonte (2) , Michael R. Combi (6) , B. Dabrowski (1) , Johan de Keyser (8) , F. Dhooghe (8) , Björn Fiethe (9) , Steven A. Fuselier (10) , André Galli (2) , Philippe Garnier (11) , Sébastien Gasc (2) , Tamas I. Gombosi (6) , K. C. Hansen (6) , Myrtha Hässig (10, 2) , Margaux Hoang (11) , Annette Jäckel (2) , E. Kopp (2) , Axel Korth (1) , Léna Le Roy (2) , B. Magee (10) , B. Marty (12) , O. Mousis (13) , Henri Rème (14) , Martin Rubin (2) , T. Sémon (2) , Chia-Yu Tzou (2) , J. H. Waite (10) , Peter Wurz (3, 2)

1 MPS - Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
2 Physikalisches Institut [Bern]
3 CSH - Center for Space and Habitability
4 TAU - Department of Geophysics [Tel Aviv]
5 PLANETO - LATMOS
6 CLaSP - Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
7 LPC2E - Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
8 BIRA-IASB - Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy / Institut d'Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique
9 IDA - Institute of Computer and Network Engineering [Braunschweig]
10 Space Science and Engineering Division [San Antonio]
11 IRAP - Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie
12 CRPG - Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques
13 LAM - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
14 CESR - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements

Comets considered to be pristine objects contain key information about the early formation of the solar system. Their volatile components can provide clues about the origin and evolution of gases and ices in the comets. Measurements with ROSINA/RTOF at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko have now allowed, for the first time, a direct in situ high-time resolution measurement of the most abundant cometary molecules originating directly from a comet's nucleus over a long time-period, much longer than any previous measurements at a close distance to a comet between 3.1 and 2.3 au. We determine the local densities of H₂O, CO₂, and CO, and investigate their variabilities.

Keywords: comets: general; comets: individual (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko)

Domains: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]

Urs Mall, Kathrin Altwegg, Hans Balsiger, A. Bar-Nun, Jean-Jacques Berthelier, et al.. High-Time Resolution In-situ Investigation of Major Cometary Volatiles around 67P/C-G at 3.1 - 2.3 AU Measured with ROSINA-RTOF. The Astrophysical Journal, 2016, 819 (2), pp.126. ⟨10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/126⟩. ⟨insu-01287167⟩