NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
The cometary flourescence spectrum of cyanogen: A modelWe present a model to compute flourescence spectra of the stable isotopes of CN in the comae of comets. The effects of collisions are included and shown to be significant as a mechanism secondary to the flourescence process in the calculations. Our computed spectra are compared with high-resolution spectra of the B2 sigma(+)-X2 sigma(+) (0-0) band for comets Halley, Austin, and Levy. This comparison shows that collisonal effects are observable in the CN spectra of relatively high production rate comets, such as Halley and Levy. Moreover, the model confirms that the overall structure of the CN spectra in comets results predominantly from pure flourescence governed by the Swings effect. The primary goal of our model is to provide a methodology to compute accurate rotational line flourescence efficiencies for the stable isotopes of CN: (12)C(14)N, (13)C(14)N, and (12)C(15)N. The flourescence efficiencies are required to convert observed isotope line intensity ratios to isotope abundance ratios of carbons and nitrogen in comets.
Document ID
19950037426
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Kleine, Marvin
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Wyckoff, Susan
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Wehinger, Peter A.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Peterson, Bruce A.
(Australian National Univ. Weston Creek, Australia)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal, Part 1
Volume: 436
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0004-637X
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
95A69025
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available