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- Hornung, K., et al.
(author)
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Electrical properties of cometary dust particles derived from line shapes of TOF-SIMS spectra measured by the ROSETTA/COSIMA instrument
- 2019
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In: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 182
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Between Aug. 2014 and Sept. 2016, while ESA's cornerstone mission Rosetta was operating in the vicinity of the nucleus and in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the COSIMA instrument collected a large number of dust particles with diameters up to a millimeter. Positive or negative ions were detected by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) and the composition of selected particles was deduced. Many of the negative ion mass spectra show, besides mass peaks at the correct position, an additional, extended contribution at the lower mass side caused by partial charging of the dust. This effect, usually avoided in SIMS applications, can in our case be used to obtain information on the electrical properties of the collected cometary dust particles, such as the specific resistivity (ρr>1.2⋅1010Ωm) and the real part of the relative electrical permittivity (εr<1.2). From these values a lower limit for the porosity is derived (P>0.8).
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| 3. |
- Isnard, R., et al.
(author)
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H/C elemental ratio of the refractory organic matter in cometary particles of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
- 2019
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 630
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Because comets are part of the most primitive bodies of our solar system, establishing their chemical composition and comparing them to other astrophysical bodies gives new constraints on the formation and evolution of organic matter throughout the solar system. For two years, the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyzer (COSIMA) on board the Rosetta orbiter performed in situ analyses of the dust particles ejected from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). Aims. The aim is to determine the H/C elemental ratio of the refractory organic component contained in cometary particles of 67P. Methods. We analyzed terrestrial and extraterrestrial calibration samples using the COSIMA ground-reference model. Exploiting these calibration samples, we provide calibration lines in both positive and negative ion registration modes. Thus, we are now able to measure the cometary H/C elemental ratio. Results. The mean H/C value is 1.04 +/- 0.16 based on 33 different cometary particles. Consequently, the H/C atomic ratio is on average higher in cometary particles of 67P than in even the most primitive insoluble organic matter extracted from meteorites. Conclusions. These results imply that the refractory organic matter detected in dust particles of 67P is less unsaturated than the material in meteorites.
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