Aggregate dust particles at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko - INSU - Institut national des sciences de l'Univers Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Nature Année : 2016

Aggregate dust particles at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Résumé

Comets are thought to preserve almost pristine dust particles, thus providing a unique sample of the properties of the early solar nebula. The microscopic properties of this dust played a key part in particle aggregation during the formation of the Solar System1, 2. Cometary dust was previously considered to comprise irregular, fluffy agglomerates on the basis of interpretations of remote observations in the visible and infrared3, 4, 5, 6 and the study of chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles7 that were thought, but not proved, to originate in comets. Although the dust returned by an earlier mission8 has provided detailed mineralogy of particles from comet 81P/Wild, the fine-grained aggregate component was strongly modified during collection9. Here we report in situ measurements of dust particles at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The particles are aggregates of smaller, elongated grains, with structures at distinct sizes indicating hierarchical aggregation. Topographic images of selected dust particles with sizes of one micrometre to a few tens of micrometres show a variety of morphologies, including compact single grains and large porous aggregate particles, similar to chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles. The measured grain elongations are similar to the value inferred for interstellar dust and support the idea that such grains could represent a fraction of the building blocks of comets. In the subsequent growth phase, hierarchical agglomeration could be a dominant process10 and would produce aggregates that stick more easily at higher masses and velocities than homogeneous dust particles11. The presence of hierarchical dust aggregates in the near-surface of the nucleus of comet 67P also provides a mechanism for lowering the tensile strength of the dust layer and aiding dust release12.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
1704.00526.pdf (3.59 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)

Dates et versions

insu-01366821 , version 1 (25-11-2020)

Identifiants

Citer

Mark S. Bentley, Roland Schmied, Thurid Mannel, Klaus Torkar, Harald Jeszenszky, et al.. Aggregate dust particles at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Nature, 2016, 537 (7618), pp.73-75. ⟨10.1038/nature19091⟩. ⟨insu-01366821⟩
249 Consultations
34 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More