Detection of the 22-GHz line of water during and after the SL-9/Jupiter event.
Abstract
Because of the exceptional changes in the chemistry and in the excitation conditions of the Jovian atmosphere and ionosphere, the comet/Jupiter impacts represented a unique opportunity of detecting the water radio line and to state its cometary origin. By using a multichannel spectrometer (up to 128.000 channels), coupled with the 32-m dish of the Medicina Radiotelescope, the authors were able to detect the emission line of water at 1.35 cm as a consequence of blob E and probably also of blobs A and C on July 19, 1994. The detection of water from blob E covers a two months range after impact. It follows that, since the water was excited at high altitudes (above the 1 microbar level) it should necessarily originate from the cometary nuclei. The extremely narrow bandwidth of the line (40 kHz) can't be explained by a classical approach of thermal or collisional broadening. Thus a new model has to be worked out in order to explain line bandwidth, temperature brightness, morphology and altitude of the water cloud.
- Publication:
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European SL-9/Jupiter Workshop
- Pub Date:
- 1995
- Bibcode:
- 1995ESOC...52..261M
- Keywords:
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- Jupiter Atmosphere: Impact Phenomena;
- Jupiter Atmosphere: Comets;
- Jupiter Atmosphere: Water