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Volatile Abundances, Extended Coma Sources, and Nucleus Ice Associations in Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)High-resolution infrared spectra of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy were acquired with NIRSPEC at the W. M. Keck Observatory on two post-perihelion dates(UT 2015 February 2 and 3).H2O was measured simultaneously with CO,CH3OH, H2CO, CH4, C2H6,C2H4, C2H2, HCN, and NH3 on both dates, and rotational temperatures, production rates, relative abundances, H2O ortho-to-para ratios, and spatial distributions in the coma were determined. The first detection of C2H4in a comet from ground-based observations is reported. Abundances relative to H2O for all species were found to be in the typical range compared with values for other comets in the overall population to date. There is evidence of variability in rotational temperatures and production rates on timescales that are small compared with the rotational period of the comet. Spatial distributions of volatiles in the coma suggest complex outgassing behavior.CH3OH, HCN, C2H6, and CH4 spatial distributions in the coma are consistent with direct release from associated ices in the nucleus and are peaked in a more sunward direction compared with co-measured dust. H2O spatial profiles are clearly distinct from these other four species, likely due to a sizable coma contribution from icy grain sublimation.Spatial distributions for C2H2,H2CO, and NH3suggest substantial contributions from extended coma sources, providing further evidence for distinct origins and associations for these species in comets. CO shows a different spatial distribution compared with other volatiles, consistent with jet activity from discrete nucleus ice sources.
Document ID
20220002672
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Neil Dello Russo ORCID
(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory North Laurel, Maryland, United States)
Ronald J. Vervack, Jr.
(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory North Laurel, Maryland, United States)
Hideyo Kawakita ORCID
(Kyoto Sangyo University Kyoto, Kyôto, Japan)
Boncho P. Bonev ORCID
(American University Washington, DC)
Michael A. Disanti ORCID
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Erika L. Gibb ORCID
(University of Missouri–St. Louis St Louis, Missouri, United States)
Adam J. McKay ORCID
(American University Washington, DC)
Anita L. Cochran ORCID
(The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas, United States)
Harold A. Weaver ORCID
(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory North Laurel, Maryland, United States)
Nicolas Biver ORCID
(Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics Meudon, France)
Jacques Crovisier
(Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics Meudon, France)
Dominique Bockelée-Morvan ORCID
(Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics Meudon, France)
Hitomi Kobayashi ORCID
(Kyoto Nijikoubou, LLP)
Walter M. Harris ORCID
(University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona, United States)
Nathaniel X. Roth ORCID
(Universities Space Research Association Columbia, Maryland, United States)
Mohammad Saki ORCID
(Auburn University Auburn, Alabama, United States)
Younas Khan ORCID
(University of Missouri–St. Louis St Louis, Missouri, United States)
Date Acquired
February 16, 2022
Publication Date
January 1, 2022
Publication Information
Publication: The Planetary Science Journal
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Volume: 3
Issue: 6
Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2022
e-ISSN: 2632-3338
Subject Category
Astronomy
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 811073.02.03.04.72
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Portions of document may include copyright protected material.
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