Possibility of concentration of nonvolatile species near the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Suzuki, T.; Shinnaka, Y.; Majumdar, L.; Shibata, T.; Shibaike, Y.; Nomura, H.; Minamoto, H. (2021). Possibility of concentration of nonvolatile species near the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Astronomy and astrophysics, 645, A134. EDP Sciences 10.1051/0004-6361/202038491

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Context. Cometary materials are thought to be the reservoir of the primitive materials of the Solar System. The recent detection of glycine and CH3NH2 by the ROSINA mass spectrometer in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko suggests that amino acids and their precursors may have formed in an early evolutionary phase of the Solar System.

Aims. We aim to investigate the evolution of the interior of comets considering the evaporation process of water followed by the concentration of nonvolatile species.

Methods. We developed a Simplified Cometary Concentration Model (SCCM) to simulate the evaporation and concentration processes on the cometary surface. We use 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as the benchmark of the SCCM. We investigated the depth of the layer where nonvolatile species concentrate after the numerous passages of perihelion after the formation of the Solar System.

Results. We find that the SCCM explains the observed production rates of water and CH3NH2 at 100 comet years. Results from the SCCM suggest that the nonvolatile species would concentrate in the top 100 cm of the comet surface within 10 comet years. Our results also suggest that the nonvolatile species would concentrate several meters beneath the surface before it hit the early Earth. This specific mass of nonvolatile species may provide unique chemical conditions for the volcanic hot spring pools.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > NCCR PlanetS
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Space Research and Planetary Sciences

UniBE Contributor:

Shibaike, Yuhito

Subjects:

500 Science > 530 Physics
500 Science > 520 Astronomy
600 Technology > 620 Engineering

ISSN:

0004-6361

Publisher:

EDP Sciences

Language:

English

Submitter:

Yuhito Shibaike

Date Deposited:

06 Apr 2022 14:22

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 16:18

Publisher DOI:

10.1051/0004-6361/202038491

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/168833

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/168833

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