Noble gases Ar, Kr and Xe measured in the coma of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: implications to early solar system formation
Abstract
The role of comets in the formation of solar system planets, in particular their contribution to the volatiles of the terrestrial planets has been the subject of numerous models and speculations. Having kept at least partially the volatile constituents of the solar nebula, comets are among the most primitive objects in the solar system. Noble gases in the cometary coma are key tracers for assessing origin and processing of planetary atmospheres. We report the detection of Ar, Kr and Xe in the coma of Comet 67P during the same period (May 2016) by the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) of the ROSINA experiment on ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, their relative abundance and isotopic composition. First implications for the volatile inventory of terrestrial planets and for solar system formation scenarios are discussed.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFM.P43D..08B
- Keywords:
-
- 6015 Dust;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: COMETS AND SMALL BODIESDE: 6020 Ices;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: COMETS AND SMALL BODIESDE: 6050 Plasma and MHD instabilities;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: COMETS AND SMALL BODIESDE: 6055 Surfaces;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: COMETS AND SMALL BODIES