Abstract
The properties of a porous mineral crust on the surface of an icy cometary nucleus and the crust’s influence on the thermal regime and gas production in the nucleus have been studied by laboratory simulation experiments. A nucleus model of H2O ice with the impurity of graphite particles has been shown to display the same temperature and surface albedo as those determined for Comet Halley’s nucleus by the VEGA 1, VEGA 2, and Giotto spacecraft. The effective thermal conductivity of a crust with a density of 0.5 × 102 kg m-3 to 0.7 × 102 kg m-3 is less than 10-1 W m-1 K-1, while the crust’s strength (103 to 104 Pa) is not sufficient to withstand its erosion by the sublimating gases. A crust that is 1 cm thick lowers the gas production of the nucleus model by one order of magnitude. The destruction of the crust, and the gas and dust production of Comet Halley’s nucleus can be explained either by a spotty surface on the nucleus or, more likely, by the presence of volatile impurities such as CO2 with concentrations of 1 × 10-2 to 3 × 10-2 in the H2O ice under the crust.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Combes, M., et al. (1986). “Infrared sounding of comet Halley from VEGA I”, Nature, 321, 266–268.
Dobrovolsky, O.V., and Ibadinov, K.I. (1971). “Destruction of dust matrix on comet nucleus surface”, Dokladi Akademii Nauk Tadjik SSR, 14, 16–19.
Dobrovolsky, O.V., and Kajmakov, E.A. (1977). “Surface phenomena in simulated cometary nuclei”, in A. H. Delsemme (ed.), Comets, Asteroids, Meteorites, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, 37–46.
Dobrovolsky, O.V., et al. (1984). “Secular brightness decrease and nuclei structure of periodical comets”, Dokladi Akademii Nauk Tadjik SSR, 27, 198–200.
Dobrovolsky, O.V., et al. (1986). “Thermal regime and surface of periodic comet nuclei,” in B. Battrick, E.J. Rolfe, and R. Reinhard (eds.), Exploration of Halley’s Comet, Proceedings of the International Symposium held in Heidelberg, Germany, 27–31 October 1986, ESA SP-250, Vol. II, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 389–394.
Emerich, C., et al. (1986). “Temperature and size of the nucleus of Halley’s comet deduced from I.K.S. infrared VEGA I measurements”, in B. Battrick, E.J. Rolfe, and R. Reinhard (eds.), Exploration of Halley’s Comet, Proceedings of the International Symposium held in Heidelberg, Germany, 27–31 October 1986, ESA SP-250, Vol. II, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 381–384.
Fanale, F.P., and Salvail, J.R. (1984). “An idealized short-period comet model: Surface insolation, H2O flux, dust flux, and mantle evolution”, Icarus, 60, 476–511.
Grün, E., et al. (1987). “Simulation of cometary nuclei”, in E.J. Rolfe and B. Battrick (eds.), Diversity and Similarity of Comets, Proceedings of an International Symposium held in Brussels, Belgium, 6–9 April 1987, ESA SP-278, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 501–508.
Ibadinov, K.I. (1982). “The durability of dust formed under the dusty ice sublimation”, Komety i Meteory, 34, 19–23.
Ibadinov, K.I. (1989). “Laboratory investigations of the sublimation of comet nucleus models”, Adv. Space Res., 9(3), 97–112.
Ibadinov, K.I., and Aliev, S. (1984). “Laboratory investigation of the comet H2O, CO2 and NH3 ice conglomerates”, Komety i Meteory, 36, 35–37.
Ibadinov, K.I., and Aliev, S. (1987). “Sublimation characteristics of H2O comet nucleus with CO2 impurities”, in E.J. Rolfe and B. Battrick (eds.), Diversity and Similarity of Comets, Proceedings of an International Symposium held in Brussels, Belgium, 6–9 April 1987, ESA SP-278, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 717–719.
Ibadinov, K.I., and Kajmakov, E.A. (1970). “Formation and destruction of dust matrices during sublimation of dusty ice”, Komety i Meteory, 19, 20–24.
Ibadinov, K.I., and Rahmonov, A.A. (1988). “Laboratory simulation layer on comet Halley nucleus surface”, Kometny Circ, 395, 4.
Ibadinov, K.I., et al. (1985). “The formation rate and physical+mechanical characteristics of organic matrixes on the surface comet nuclei models”, Dokladi Akademii Nauk Tadjik SSR, 28, 21–24.
Ibadinov, K.I., et al. (1987a). “Physical-mechanical properties of matrixes on the comet nuclei surface model”, in E.J. Rolfe and B. Battrick (eds.), Diversity and Similarity of Comets, Proceedings of an International Symposium held in Brussels, Belgium, 6–9 April 1987, ESA SP-278, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 713–716.
Ibadinov, K.I., et al. (1987b). “Laboratory investigation of thermal conductivity of dust models on the ice comet nuclei surfaces”, in Z. Ceplecha and P. Pecina (eds.), Interplanetary Matter, Proceedings of the 10th European Regional Astronomy Meeting of the IAU, 24–29 August 1987, Praha, Czechoslovakia, 2, 55–57.
Kajmakov, E.A., and Ibadinov, K.I. (1971). “Influence of light on dusty ices”, Komety i Meteory, 20, 9–13.
Klinger, J., et al. (1989). “How far do results of recent simulation experiments fit current models of cometary nuclei”, in Proceedings of the 19th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 493–497.
Kochan, H., et al. (1989). “Laboratory simulation of a cometary nucleus: Experimental setup and first results”, in Proceedings of the 19th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 487–492.
Lizunkova, I.S., et al. (1977). “Simulation of cometary dust particles”, Sov. Astron. J., Letter 3, 518–521.
Markovich, M.Z. (1958). “Thermal conductivity of cometary nucleus surface layer”, Bulleten Instituta Astrofiziki Akademii Nauk Tadjik SSR, 3–14.
Markovich, M.Z. (1961). “Nuclei temperature of comets with great aphelion distances”, Bulleten Komissii po Kometam i Meteoram, 6, 25–31.
Markovich, M.Z. (1986). “On the theory of the’ spotty’ model of cometary nucleus”, Kinematika i Fizika Nebesnykh Tel, 2, 70–76.
Matveev, N.N., and Kajmakov, E.A. (1980). “Experimental research of the probable parent Na-and Li-containing molecules in comet”, Komety i Meteory, 28, 17–25.
Mendis, D.A., and Brin, G.O. (1977). “Monochromatic brightness variations of comets. II. Core-mantle model”, Moon, 17, 359–372.
Reinhard, R. (1986). “The Giotto encounter with comet Halley”, Nature, 321(6067), 313–318.
Riives, V.G. (1966). “Intensity of gas production in comets”, Komety i Meteory, 13, 3–8.
Sagdeev, R.Z., et al. (1986). “VEGA spacecraft encounters with comet Halley”, Nature, 321(6067), 259–262.
Sekanina, Z., and Larson, S.M. (1986). “Coma morphology and dust emission pattern of Periodic Comet Halley. N. Spin vector refinement and map of discrete dust sources for 1910”, Astron. J., 92, 462–482.
Shul’man, L.M. (1972). Dinamika kometnyh atmospher. Nejtralnyj gas, Naukova Dumka, Kiev.
Shul’man, L.M. (1987). Jadra komet, Nauka, Moscow.
Whipple, F.L. (1950). “A comet model. I. The acceleration of comet Encke”, Astrophys. J., 111, 375–394.
Whipple, F.L. (1951). “A comet model. II. Physical relations for comets and meteors”, Astrophys. J., 113, 464–474.
Yeomans, D.K. (1986). “The comet Halley ephemeris development effort”, in R. Reinhard and B. Battrick (eds.), Space Missions to Halley’s Comet, ESA SP-1066, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 179–198.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ibadinov, K.I., Rahmonov, A.A., Bjasso, A.S. (1991). Laboratory Simulation of Cometary Structures. In: Newburn, R.L., Neugebauer, M., Rahe, J. (eds) Comets in the Post-Halley Era. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 167. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3378-4_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3378-4_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5494-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-3378-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive