The unusual volatile composition of the Halley-type comet 8P/Tuttle: Addressing the existence of an Inner Oort Cloud

We measured organic volatiles (CH4, CH3OH, C2H6, H2CO), CO, and water in comet 8P/Tuttle, a comet from the Oort cloud reservoir now in a short-period Halley-type orbit. We compare its composition with two other comets in Halley-type orbits, and with comets of the "organics-normal" and "organics-depleted" classes. Chemical gradients are expected in the comet-forming region of the proto-planetary disk, and an individual comet should reflect its specific heritage. If Halley-type comets came from the inner Oort cloud as proposed, we see no common characteristics that could distinguish such comets from those that were stored in the outer Oort cloud.Comment: 14 pages, including 1 figure and 2 Table

The formation heritage of Jupiter Family Comet 10P/Tempel 2 as revealed by infrared spectroscopy

We present spectral and spatial information for major volatile species in Comet 10P/Tempel 2, based on high-dispersion infrared spectra acquired on UT 2010 July 26 (heliocentric distance Rh = 1.44 AU) and September 18 (Rh = 1.62 AU), following the comet's perihelion passage on UT 2010 July 04. The total production rate for water on July 26 was (1.90 +/- 0.12) x 10^28 molecules s-1, and abundances of six trace gases (relative to water) were: CH3OH (1.58% +/- 0.23), C2H6 (0.39% +/- 0.04), NH3 (0.83% +/- 0.20), and HCN (0.13% +/- 0.02). A detailed analysis of intensities for water emission lines provided a rotational temperature of 35 +/- 3 K. The mean OPR is consistent with nuclear spin populations in statistical equilibrium (OPR = 3.01 +/- 0.18), and the (1-sigma) lower bound corresponds to a spin temperature > 38 K. Our measurements were contemporaneous with a jet-like feature observed at optical wavelengths. The spatial profiles of four primary volatiles display strong enhancements in the jet direction, which favors release from a localized vent on the nucleus. The measured IR continuum is much more sharply peaked and is consistent with a dominant contribution from the nucleus itself. The peak intensities for H2O, CH3OH, and C2H6 are offset by ~200 km in the jet direction, suggesting the possible existence of a distributed source, such as the release of icy grains that subsequently sublimed in the coma. On UT September 18, no obvious emission lines were present in our spectra, nevertheless we obtained a 3-sigma upper limit Q(H2O) < 2.86 x 10^27 molecules s-1

Highly Depleted Ethane and Mildly Depleted Methanol in Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner: Application of a New Empirical nu(sub 2) Band Model for CH30H Near 50 K

Infrared spectra of Comet 2lP/Giacobini-Zinner (hereafter 2IP/GZ) were obtained using NIRSPEC at Keck II on UT 2005 June 03, approximately one month before perihelion, that simultaneously measured H2O, C2H6, and CH3OH. For H2O, the production rate of 3.8 x 10(exp 28) molecules / S was consistent with that measured during other apparitions of 21P/GZ retrieved from optical, infrared, and mm-wavelength observations. The water analysis also provided values for rotational temperature (T(sub rot) = 55(epx +3) /-.2 K) and the abundance ratio of ortho- and para-water (3.00 +/-0.15, implying a spin temperature exceeding 50 K). Six Q-branches in the V7 band of C2H6 provided a production rate (5.27 +/- 0.90 x 10(exp 25)/S) that corresponded to an abundance ratio of 0.139 +/- 0.024 % relative to H2O, confirming the previously reported strong depletion of C2H6 from IR observations during the 1998 apparition, and in qualitative agreement with the depletion in C2 known from optical studies. For CH30H, we applied our recently published ab initia model for the v3 band to obtain a rotational temperature (48(exp + 10) / -7 K) consistent with that obtained for H2O. In addition we applied a newly developed empirical model for the CH30H v2 band, and obtained a production rate consistent with that obtained from the v3 band. Combining results from both v2 and v3 bands provided a production rate (47.5 +/- 4.4 x 10(exp 25) / S) that corresponded to an abundance ratio of 1.25 +/- 0.12 % relative to H2O in 21P/GZ. Our study provides the first measure of primary volatile production rates for any Jupiter family comet over multiple apparitions using high resolution IR spectroscopy

Volatile Composition and Outgassing in C/2018 Y1 (IWAMOTO): Extending Detection Limits for High-Resolution IR Cometary Spectroscopy at the NASA-IRTF

We used iSHELL, the powerful high-resolution ( /~ 40,000) cross-dispersed IR spectrograph at the NASA-IRTF to measure the native ice composition and outgassing of moderately bright, long-period comet C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) (hereafter Y1) within weeks of its discovery. We measured production rates for H2O, and production rates and abundance ratios relative to H2O for eight trace molecules, including the most complete measure of cometary CH4 achieved to date. Compared with mean abundances measured among comets, our study revealed enriched CH3OH and C2H6 yet depleted CO and C2H2, perhaps indicating highly efficient H- atom addition on interstellar grains prior to their incorporation into the nucleus. The combined high spectral resolving power and broad spectral coverage of iSHELL allowed characterizing cometary composition using only three instrument settings, and its long-slit coverage allowed comparing the spatial distributions of molecular emissions and dust continuum

Temporal and Spatial Aspects of Gas Release During the 2010 Apparition of Comet 103P/Hartley-2

We report measurements of eight primary volatiles (H2O, HCN, CH4, C2H6, CH3OH, C2H2, H2CO, and NH3) and two product species (OH and NH2) in comet 103P/Hartley-2 using high dispersion infrared spectroscopy. We quantified the long- and short-term behavior of volatile release over a three-month interval that encompassed the comet's close approach to Earth, its perihelion passage, and flyby of the comet by the Deep Impact spacecraft during the EPOXI mission. We present production rates for individual species, their mixing ratios relative to water, and their spatial distributions in the coma on multiple dates. The production rates for water, ethane, HCN, and methanol vary in a manner consistent with independent measures of nucleus rotation, but mixing ratios for HCN, C2H6, & CH3OH are independent of rotational phase. Our results demonstrate that the ensemble average composition of gas released from the nucleus is well defined, and relatively constant over the three-month interval (September 18 through December 17). If individual vents vary in composition, enough diverse vents must be active simultaneously to approximate (in sum) the bulk composition of the nucleus. The released primary volatiles exhibit diverse spatial properties which favor the presence of separate polar and apolar ice phases in the nucleus, establish dust and gas release from icy clumps (and also, directly from the nucleus), and provide insights into the driver for the cyanogen (CN) polar jet. The spatial distributions of C2H6 & HCN along the near-polar jet (UT 19.5 October) and nearly orthogonal to it (UT 22.5 October) are discussed relative to the origin of CN. The ortho-para ratio (OPR) of water was 2.85 \pm 0.20; the lower bound (2.65) defines Tspin > 32 K. These values are consistent with results returned from ISO in 1997.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, to be published in: Astrophysical Journal Letter

Water Planetary and Cometary Atmospheres: H2O/HDO Transmittance and Fluorescence Models

We developed a modern methodology to retrieve water (H2O) and deuterated water (HDO) in planetary and cometary atmospheres, and constructed an accurate spectral database that combines theoretical and empirical results. Based on a greatly expanded set of spectroscopic parameters, we built a full non-resonance cascade fluorescence model and computed fluorescence efficiencies for H2O (500 million lines) and HDO (700 million lines). The new line list was also integrated into an advanced terrestrial radiative transfer code (LBLRTM) and adapted to the CO2 rich atmosphere of Mars, for which we adopted the complex Robert-Bonamy formalism for line shapes. We then retrieved water and D/H in the atmospheres of Mars, comet C/2007 WI, and Earth by applying the new formalism to spectra obtained with the high-resolution spectrograph NIRSPEC/Keck II atop Mauna Kea (Hawaii). The new model accurately describes the complex morphology of the water bands and greatly increases the accuracy of the retrieved abundances (and the D/H ratio in water) with respect to previously available models. The new model provides improved agreement of predicted and measured intensities for many H2O lines already identified in comets, and it identifies several unassigned cometary emission lines as new emission lines of H2O. The improved spectral accuracy permits retrieval of more accurate rotational temperatures and production rates for cometary water

The Evolution of Volatile Production in Comet C-2009 P1(Garradd) During its 2011-2012 Apparition

We report observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths of comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) from 2011 December 28 to 2012 April 24, using the Arizona Radio Observatory submillimeter telescope (SMT) and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). Garradd is a dynamically young long-period comet from the Oort Cloud, with a periodicity of 127,000 years, that reached perihelion on 2011 December 23 (at Heliocentric distance (Rh) = 1.55 Astronomical Units and delta = 20.1 Astronomical Units ) and made its closest approach to the Earth on 2012 March 05 (at Heliocentric distance (Rh) = 1.84 Astronomical Units and delta = 1.26 Astronomical Units). We obtained gas production rates, and molecular abundances relative to water for HCN, ortho-H2CO, CS, CO and CH3OH. A rotational temperature, T (sub rot) approximately equal to 50 degrees Kelvin, was determined by observing multiple methanol lines with the JCMT. By averaging the abundance ratio relative to water from the SMT and the JCMT we derive: CO: 7.03 plus or minus 1.84 percent, HCN: 0.04 plus or minus 0.01 percent, ortho H2CO: 0.14 plus or minus 0.03 percent as a parent molecule (and 0.28 plus or minus 0.06 percent as an extended source), CS: 0.03 plus or minus 0.01 percent and CH3OH: 3.11 for a range from plus 1:86 to minus 0.51 percent. We concluded that Garradd is normal in CH3OH, depleted in HCN, ortho-H2CO and CS and slightly enriched in CO with respect to typically observed cometary mixing ratios. We also studied the temporal evolution of HCN and CO and find that the production of HCN has a trend similar to water (but with short-term variation), with a decrease after perihelion, while that of CO shows contrary behavior: remaining constant or increasing after perihelion

The Distribution, Excitation and Formation of Cometary Molecules: Methanol, Methyl Cyanide and Ethylene Glycol

We present an interferometric and single dish study of small organic species toward Comets C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) using the BIMA interferometer at 3 mm and the ARO 12m telescope at 2 mm. For Comet Hale-Bopp, both the single-dish and interferometer observations of CH3OH indicate an excitation temperature of 105+/-5 K and an average production rate ratio Q(CH3OH)/Q(H2O)~1.3% at ~1 AU. Additionally, the aperture synthesis observations of CH3OH suggest a distribution well described by a spherical outflow and no evidence of significant extended emission. Single-dish observations of CH3CN in Comet Hale-Bopp indicate an excitation temperature of 200+/-10 K and a production rate ratio of Q(CH3CN)/Q(H2O)~0.017% at ~1 AU. The non-detection of a previously claimed transition of cometary (CH2OH)2 toward Comet Hale-Bopp with the 12m telescope indicates a compact distribution of emission, D<9'' (<8500 km). For the single-dish observations of Comet T7 LINEAR, we find an excitation temperature of CH3OH of 35+/-5 K and a CH3OH production rate ratio of Q(CH3OH)/Q(H2O)~1.5% at ~0.3 AU. Our data support current chemical models that CH3OH, CH3CN and (CH2OH)2 are parent nuclear species distributed into the coma via direct sublimation off cometary ices from the nucleus with no evidence of significant production in the outer coma.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap

Development of Primary Volatile Production in COMET C/20O9 Pl (GARRADD) During its 2011-2O12 Apparition

We quantified primary volatiles in comet C/2009 Pl (Garradd) through pre- and post-perihelion observations acquired during its apparition in 2011-12 [1,2,3]. Detected volatiles include H2O, CO, CH4, C2H2, C2H6, HCN, NH3, H2CO, and CH3OH. We present production rates and chemical abundance ratios (relative to water) for all species, and I-D spatial profiles for multiple primary volatiles. We discuss these findings in the context of an emerging taxonomy based on primary volatiles in comets [4]. We used three spectrometer/telescope combinations. On UT 20ll August 7 (Rh 2.4 AU) and September 17-21 (Rh 2.0 AU), we used CRIRES at ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) [1]. On September 8 and 9 (Rh 2.1 AU), we used NIRSPEC at Keck-2 and CSHELL at IRTF [2]. Using NIRSPEC on October 13 and 2012 January 08 (Rh 1.83 and 1.57 AU, respectively), we detected nine primary volatiles pre-perihelion, and six post-perihelion [3]. CO was enriched in Garradd while C2H2 was strongly depleted. C2H6 and CH3OH displayed abundances close to those measured for the majority of Oort cloud comets observed to date. The high fractional abundance of CO identifies comet C12009 P1 as a CO-rich comet. Spatial profiles revealed notable differences among individual primary species. Given the relatively large heliocentric distance of C/2009 Pl, we explored the effect of water not being fully sublimated within our field of view and we identi$, the "missing" water fraction needed to reconcile the retrieved abundance ratios with the mean values found for "organics-normal" comets

C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) at IR Wavelengths and the Variability of CO Abundances among Oort Cloud Comets

We report production rates, rotational temperatures, and related parameters for gases in C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) using the Near InfraRed SPECtrometer at the Keck Observatory, on six UT dates spanning heliocentric distances (R_h ) that decreased from 1.35 AU to 1.16 AU (pre-perihelion). We quantified nine gaseous species (H_2O, OH^*, CO, CH^4, HCN, C_2H_6, CH_3OH, NH_3, and NH_2) and obtained upper limits for two others (C_2H_2 and H_2CO). Compared with organics-normal comets, our results reveal highly enriched CO, (at most) slightly enriched CH_3OH, C_2H_6, and HCN, and CH_4 consistent with "normal", yet depleted, NH_3, C_2H_2, and H_2CO. Rotational temperatures increased from ~50 K to ~70 K with decreasing R_h , following a power law in R_h of –2.0 ± 0.2, while the water production rate increased from 1.0 to 3.9 × 10^(28) molecules s^(–1), following a power law in R_h of –4.7 ± 0.9. The ortho-para ratio for H_2O was 3.01 ± 0.49, corresponding to spin temperatures (T_(spin)) ≥ 29 K (at the 1σ level). The observed spatial profiles for these emissions showed complex structures, possibly tied to nucleus rotation, although the cadence of our observations limits any definitive conclusions. The retrieved CO abundance in Lovejoy is more than twice the median value for comets in our IR survey, suggesting this comet is enriched in CO. We discuss the enriched value for CO in comet C/2013 R1 in terms of the variability of CO among Oort Cloud comets