The detection of solid phosphorus and fluorine in the dust from the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Esko Gardner (1) , Harry J Lehto (1) , Kirsi Lehto , Nicolas Fray (2) , Anaïs Bardyn , Tuomas Lönnberg , Sihane Merouane , Robin Isnard (2) , Hervé Cottin (2) , Martin Hilchenbach , The Cosima Team (3)

1 Tuorla Observatory
2 LISA (UMR_7583) - Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques
3 LPC2E - Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace

Here, we report the detection of phosphorus and fluorine in solid particles collected from the inner coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko measured with the COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser (COSIMA) instrument on-board the Rosetta spacecraft, only a few kilometers away from the comet nucleus. We have detected phosphorus-containing minerals from the presented COSIMA mass spectra, and can rule out e.g. apatite minerals as the source of phosphorus. This result completes the detection of life-necessary CHNOPS-elements in solid cometary matter, indicating cometary delivery as a potential source of these elements to the young Earth. Fluorine was also detected with CF + secondary ions originating from the cometary dust.

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

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

Esko Gardner, Harry J Lehto, Kirsi Lehto, Nicolas Fray, Anaïs Bardyn, et al.. The detection of solid phosphorus and fluorine in the dust from the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2020, 499 (2), pp.1870-1873. ⟨10.1093/mnras/staa2950⟩. ⟨insu-03028160⟩