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Isotopic Abundances in Comets

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Abstract

Isotopic ratios in comets provide keys for the understanding of the origin of cometary material, and the physical and chemical conditions in the early Solar Nebula. We review here measurements acquired on the D/H, 12C/13C, 16O/18O, 14N/15N, 32S/34S ratios in dust and gases, and discuss their cosmogonic implications. The prospects for future measurements from cometary space missions and remote sensing observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths are presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstr. 5, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Kathrin Altwegg

  2. LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195, Meudon, France

    Dominique Bockelée-Morvan

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  1. Kathrin Altwegg
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Altwegg, K., Bockelée-Morvan, D. Isotopic Abundances in Comets. Space Science Reviews 106, 139–154 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024685620462

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