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Nitrogen abundance in Comet HalleyData on the nitrogen-containing compounds that observed spectroscopically in the coma of Comet Halley are summarized, and the elemental abundance of nitrogen in the Comet Halley nucleus is derived. It is found that 90 percent of elemental nitrogen is in the dust fraction of the coma, while in the gas fraction, most of the nitrogen is contained in NH3 and CN. The elemental nitrogen abundance in the ice component of the nucleus was found to be deficient by a factor of about 75, relative to the solar photosphere, indicating that the chemical partitioning of N2 into NH3 and other nitrogen compounds during the evolution of the solar nebula cannot account completely for the low abundance ratio N2/NH3 = 0.1, observed in the comet. It is suggested that the low N2/NH3 ratio in Comet Halley may be explained simply by physical fractionation and/or thermal diffusion.
Document ID
19910038076
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Wyckoff, Susan
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Tegler, Stephen C.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Engel, Lisa
(Arizona State University Tempe, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal, Part 1
Volume: 367
ISSN: 0004-637X
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
91A22699
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-88-20145
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-547
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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