Complex organosulfur molecules on comet 67P: Evidence from the ROSINA measurements and insights from laboratory simulations.

Mahjoub, Ahmed; Altwegg, Kathrin; Poston, Michael J; Rubin, Martin; Hodyss, Robert; Choukroun, Mathieu; Ehlmann, Bethany L; Hänni, Nora; Brown, Michael E; Blacksberg, Jordana; Eiler, John M; Hand, Kevin P (2023). Complex organosulfur molecules on comet 67P: Evidence from the ROSINA measurements and insights from laboratory simulations. Science Advances, 9(23), eadh0394. American Association for the Advancement of Science 10.1126/sciadv.adh0394

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The ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) instrument aboard the Rosetta mission revolutionized our understanding of cometary material composition. One of Rosetta's key findings is the complexity of the composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Here, we used ROSINA data to analyze dust particles that were volatilized during a dust event in September 2016 and report the detection of large organosulfur species and an increase in the abundances of sulfurous species previously detected in the coma. Our data support the presence of complex sulfur-bearing organics on the surface of the comet. In addition, we conducted laboratory simulations that show that this material may have formed from chemical reactions that were initiated by the irradiation of mixed ices containing H2S. Our findings highlight the importance of sulfur chemistry in cometary and precometary materials and the possibility of characterizing organosulfur materials in other comets and small icy bodies using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

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

UniBE Contributor:

Altwegg, Kathrin, Rubin, Martin, Hänni, Nora Phillys

Subjects:

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

ISSN:

2375-2548

Publisher:

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Language:

English

Submitter:

Pubmed Import

Date Deposited:

08 Jun 2023 14:31

Last Modified:

11 Jun 2023 02:22

Publisher DOI:

10.1126/sciadv.adh0394

PubMed ID:

37285429

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/183236

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/183236

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