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arXiv 0901.2739astro-ph.EP
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彗星17 P/Holmes为什么会爆炸?

Why did Comet 17P/Holmes burst out?

W. J. Altenhoff, E. Kreysa, K. M. Menten, A. Sievers, C. Thum, A. Weiss

摘要:

基于毫米波长连续观测,我们认为17 P/Holmes彗星最近的“奇观”可以用厚的气密性尘埃覆盖和H2O升华的影响来解释,这是彗星到达日心距离<= 2.5 AU时开始的。核心内部的多孔结构为额外的升华提供了足够的表面,最终导致尘埃覆盖层的破裂和观察到的爆发。粒子爆发的强度可以用太阳辐射提供的能量来解释,这些能量在爆发前的几个月内储存在尘埃和原子核中:原子核内的升华表面比原子核的几何表面大一个数量级以上,这可能是后者多孔结构的一个迹象。另一个令人惊讶的是,几种分子种类相对于H2O的丰度比是可变的。在这次显灵期间,霍姆斯彗星失去了大约3%的质量,相当于20米的“脏冰”层。

英文摘要:

Based on millimeter-wavelength continuum observations we suggest that the recent 'spectacle' of comet 17P/Holmes can be explained by a thick, air-tight dust cover and the effects of H2O sublimation, which started when the comet arrived at the heliocentric distance <= 2.5 AU. The porous structure inside the nucleus provided enough surface for additional sublimation, which eventually led to the break up of the dust cover and to the observed outburst. The magnitude of the particle burst can be explained by the energy provided by insolation, stored in the dust cover and the nucleus within the months before the outburst: the subliming surface within the nucleus is more than one order of magnitude larger than the geometric surface of the nucleus -- possibly an indication of the latter's porous structure. Another surprise is that the abundance ratios of several molecular species with respect to H2O are variable. During this apparition, comet Holmes lost about 3% of its mass, corresponding to a 'dirty ice' layer of 20m.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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