NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Isotopic Ratios of H, C, N, O, and S in Comets C2012 F6 (lemmon) and C2014 Q2 (lovejoy) * ** ***The apparition of bright comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) in March-April 2013 and January 2015, combined with the improved observational capabilities of submillimeter facilities, offered an opportunity to carry out sensitive compositional and isotopic studies of the volatiles in their coma. We observed comet Lovejoy with the IRAM 30 meter telescope between 13 and 26 January 2015, and with the Odin submillimeter space observatory on 29 January - 3 February 2015. We detected 22 molecules and several isotopologues. The H2 O-16 and H2 O-18 production rates measured with Odin follow a periodic pattern with a period of 0.94 days and an amplitude of approximately 25 percent. The inferred isotope ratios in comet Lovejoy are O-16/O-18 = 499 +/- 24 and D/H equals 1.4 +/- 0.4 x 10(exp -4) in water, S-32/S-34 = equals 24.7 +/- 3.5 in CS, all compatible with terrestrial values. The ratio C-12/C-13 equals 109 +/- 14 in HCN is marginally higher than terrestrial and 14 N/ 15/N equals 145 +/- 12 in HCN is half the Earth ratio. Several upper limits for D/H or C-12/ C-13 in other molecules are reported. From our observation of HDO in comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), we report the first D/H ratio in an Oort Cloud comet that is not larger than the terrestrial value. On the other hand, the observation of the same HDO line in the other Oort-cloud comet, C/2012 F6 (Lemmon), suggests a D/H value four times higher. Given the previous measurements of D/H in cometary water, this illustrates that a diversity in the D/H ratio and in the chemical composition, is present even within the same dynamical group of comets, suggesting that current dynamical groups contain comets formed at very different places or times in the early solar system.
Document ID
20170002337
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Biver, N.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Moreno, R.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Sandqvist, Aa.
(Stockholm Observatory Sweden)
Bockelee-Morvan, D.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Colom, P.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Crovisier, J.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Lis, D. C.
(Observatoire de Paris France)
Bossier, J.
(Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimetrique Saint Martin d'Heres, France)
Debout, V.
(Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Paubert, G.
(Instituto de Radioastronomia Granada, Spain)
Milam, S.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hjalmarson, A.
(Chalmers Univ. of Technology Onsala, Sweden)
Lundin, S.
(OHB Sweden Kista, Sweden)
Karlsson, T.
(OHB Sweden Kista, Sweden)
Battelino, M.
(OHB Sweden Kista, Sweden)
Frisk, U.
(Omnisys Instruments A.B. Vastra Frolunda, Sweden)
Murtagh, D.
(Chalmers Univ. of Technology Goeteborg, Sweden)
Date Acquired
March 17, 2017
Publication Date
March 14, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Volume: 589
ISSN: 0004-6361
e-ISSN: 1432-0746
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN40098
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

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