@article{SachseKappelTirschetal.2022, author = {Sachse, Manuel and Kappel, David and Tirsch, Daniela and Otto, Katharina A.}, title = {Discrete element modeling of aeolian-like morphologies on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {662}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {0004-6361}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202141296}, pages = {15}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Context. Even after the Rosetta mission, some of the mechanical parameters of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's surface material are still not well constrained. They are needed to improve our understanding of cometary activity or for planning sample return procedures. Aims. We discuss the physical process dominating the formation of aeolian-like surface features in the form of moats and wind taillike bedforms around obstacles and investigate the mechanical and geometrical parameters involved. Methods. By applying the discrete element method (DEM) in a low-gravity environment, we numerically simulated the dynamics of the surface layer particles and the particle stream involved in the formation of aeolian-like morphological features. The material is composed of polydisperse spherical particles that consist of a mixture of dust and water ice, with interparticle forces given by the Hertz contact model, cohesion, friction, and rolling friction. We determined a working set of parameters that enables simulations to be reasonably realistic and investigated morphological changes when modifying these parameters. Results. The aeolian-like surface features are reasonably well reproduced using model materials with a tensile strength on the order of 0.1-1 Pa. Stronger materials and obstacles with round shapes impede the formation of a moat and a wind tail. The integrated dust flux required for the formation of moats and wind tails is on the order of 100 kg m(-2), which, based on the timescale of morphological changes inferred from Rosetta images, translates to a near-surface particle density on the order of 10(-6)-10(-4) kg m(-3). Conclusions. DEM modeling of the aeolian-like surface features reveals complex formation mechanisms that involve both deposition of ejected material and surface erosion. More numerical work and additional in situ measurements or sample return missions are needed to better investigate mechanical parameters of cometary surface material and to understand the mechanics of cometary activity.}, language = {en} } @article{KappelSachseHaacketal.2020, author = {Kappel, David and Sachse, Manuel and Haack, David and Otto, Katharina A.}, title = {Discrete element modeling of boulder and cliff morphologies on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {641}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {0004-6361}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201937152}, pages = {22}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Context: Even after the Rosetta mission, some of the mechanical parameters of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's surface material are not yet well constrained. These parameters are needed to improve our understanding of cometary activity or for planning sample return missions. Aims: We study some of the physical processes involved in the formation of selected surface features and investigate the mechanical and geometrical parameters involved. Methods: Applying the discrete element method (DEM) in a low-gravity environment, we numerically simulated the surface layer particle dynamics involved in the formation of selected morphological features. The material considered is a mixture of polydisperse ice and dust spheres with inter-particle forces given by the Hertz contact model, translational friction, rolling friction, cohesion from unsintered contacts, and optionally due to bonds from ice sintering. We determined a working set of parameters that enables the simulations to be reasonably realistic and investigated morphological changes due to modifications thereof. Results: The selected morphological features are reasonably well reproduced using model materials with a tensile strength on the order of 1-10 Pa. Increasing the diameters of the spherical particles decreases the material strength, and increasing the friction leads to a more brittle but somewhat stronger material. High friction is required to make the material sufficiently brittle to match observations, which points to the presence of very rough, even angular particles. Reasonable seismic activity does not suffice to trigger the collapses of cliffs without material heterogeneities or structural defects. Conclusions: DEM modeling can be a powerful tool to investigate mechanical parameters of cometary surface material. However, many uncertainties arise from our limited understanding of particle shapes, spatial configurations, and size distributions, all on multiple length scales. Further numerical work, in situ measurements, and sample return missions are needed to better understand the mechanics of cometary material and cometary activity.}, language = {en} } @article{TubianaRinaldiGuettleretal.2019, author = {Tubiana, C. and Rinaldi, G. and Guettler, C. and Snodgrass, C. and Shi, X. and Hu, X. and Marschall, R. and Fulle, M. and Bockeele-Morvan, D. and Naletto, G. and Capaccioni, F. and Sierks, H. and Arnold, G. and Barucci, M. A. and Bertaux, J-L and Bertini, I and Bodewits, D. and Capria, M. T. and Ciarniello, M. and Cremonese, G. and Crovisier, J. and Da Deppo, V and Debei, S. and De Cecco, M. and Deller, J. and De Sanctis, M. C. and Davidsson, B. and Doose, L. and Erard, S. and Filacchione, G. and Fink, U. and Formisano, M. and Fornasier, S. and Gutierrez, P. J. and Ip, W-H and Ivanovski, S. and Kappel, David and Keller, H. U. and Kolokolova, L. and Koschny, D. and Krueger, H. and La Forgia, F. and Lamy, P. L. and Lara, L. M. and Lazzarin, M. and Levasseur-Regourd, A. C. and Lin, Z-Y and Longobardo, A. and Lopez-Moreno, J. J. and Marzari, F. and Migliorini, A. and Mottola, S. and Rodrigo, R. and Taylor, F. and Toth, I and Zakharov, V}, title = {Diurnal variation of dust and gas production in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at the inbound equinox as seen by OSIRIS and VIRTIS-M on board Rosetta}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {630}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {1432-0746}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201834869}, pages = {14}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Context. On 27 April 2015, when comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was at 1.76 au from the Sun and moving toward perihelion, the OSIRIS and VIRTIS-M instruments on board the Rosetta spacecraft simultaneously observed the evolving dust and gas coma during a complete rotation of the comet. Aims. We aim to characterize the spatial distribution of dust, H2O, and CO2 gas in the inner coma. To do this, we performed a quantitative analysis of the release of dust and gas and compared the observed H2O production rate with the rate we calculated using a thermophysical model. Methods. For this study we selected OSIRIS WAC images at 612 nm (dust) and VIRTIS-M image cubes at 612 nm, 2700 nm (H2O emission band), and 4200 nm (CO2 emission band). We measured the average signal in a circular annulus to study the spatial variation around the comet, and in a sector of the annulus to study temporal variation in the sunward direction with comet rotation, both at a fixed distance of 3.1 km from the comet center. Results. The spatial correlation between dust and water, both coming from the sunlit side of the comet, shows that water is the main driver of dust activity in this time period. The spatial distribution of CO2 is not correlated with water and dust. There is no strong temporal correlation between the dust brightness and water production rate as the comet rotates. The dust brightness shows a peak at 0 degrees subsolar longitude, which is not pronounced in the water production. At the same epoch, there is also a maximum in CO2 production. An excess of measured water production with respect to the value calculated using a simple thermophysical model is observed when the head lobe and regions of the southern hemisphere with strong seasonal variations are illuminated (subsolar longitude 270 degrees-50 degrees). A drastic decrease in dust production when the water production (both measured and from the model) displays a maximum occurs when typical northern consolidated regions are illuminated and the southern hemisphere regions with strong seasonal variations are instead in shadow (subsolar longitude 50 degrees-90 degrees). Possible explanations of these observations are presented and discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{RinaldiFormisanoKappeletal.2019, author = {Rinaldi, G. and Formisano, M. and Kappel, David and Capaccioni, F. and Bockelee-Morvan, D. and Cheng, Y-C and Vincent, J-B and Deshapriya, P. and Arnold, G. and Capria, M. T. and Ciarniello, M. and De Sanctis, M. C. and Doose, L. and Erard, S. and Federico, C. and Filacchione, G. and Fink, U. and Leyrat, C. and Longobardo, A. and Magni, G. and Mighorini, A. and Mottola, S. and Naletto, G. and Raponi, A. and Taylor, F. and Tosi, F. and Tozzi, G. P. and Salatti, M.}, title = {Analysis of night-side dust activity on comet 67P observed by VIRTIS-M}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {630}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {1432-0746}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201834907}, pages = {16}, year = {2019}, abstract = {On 2015 July 18, near perihelion at a heliocentric distance of 1.28 au, the Visible InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS-M) on board the Rosetta spacecraft had the opportunity of observing dust activity in the inner coma with a view of the night side (shadowed side) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. At the time of the measurements we present here, we observe a dust plume that originates on the far side of the nucleus. We are able to identify the approximate location of its source at the boundary between the Hapi and Anuket regions, and we find that it has been in darkness for some hours before the observation. Assuming that this time span is equal to the conductive time scale, we obtain a thermal inertia in the range 25-36 W K-1 m(-2) s(-1/2). These thermal inertia values can be used to verify with a 3D finite-element method (REM) numerical code whether the surface and subsurface temperatures agree with the values found in the literature. We explored three different configurations: (1) a layer of water ice mixed with dust beneath a dust mantle of 5 mm with thermal inertia of 36 J m(-2) K-1 S-0.5 ; (2) the same structure, but with thermal inertia of 100 J m(-2) K-1 S-0.5; (3) an ice-dust mixture that is directly exposed. Of these three configurations, the first seems to be the most reasonable, both for the low thermal inertia and for the agreement with the surface and subsurface temperatures that have been found for the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spectral properties of the plume show that the visible dust color ranged from 16 +/- 4.8\%/100 nm to 13 +/- 2.6\%/100 nm, indicating that this plume has no detectable color gradient. The morphology of the plume can be classified as a narrow jet that has an estimated total ejected mass of between 6 and 19 tons when we assume size distribution indices between -2.5 and -3.}, language = {en} } @article{JewittWeaverMutchleretal.2011, author = {Jewitt, David and Weaver, Harold and Mutchler, Max and Larson, Stephen and Agarwal, Jessica}, title = {Hubble space telescope observations of main-belt comet (596) scheila}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters}, volume = {733}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {2041-8205}, doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/733/1/L4}, pages = {5}, year = {2011}, abstract = {We present Hubble Space Telescope Observations of (596) Scheila during its recent dust outburst. The nucleus remained point-like with absolute magnitude H(V) = 8.85 +/- 0.02 in our data, equal to the pre-outburst value, with no secondary fragments of diameter >= 100m (for assumed albedos 0.04). We find a coma having a peak scattering cross section similar to 2.2x10(4) km(2), corresponding to a mass in micron-sized particles of similar to 4x10(7) kg. The particles are deflected by solar radiation pressure on projected spatial scales similar to 2x10(4) km, in the sunward direction, and swept from the vicinity of the nucleus on timescales of weeks. The coma fades by similar to 30\% between observations on UT 2010 December 27 and 2011 January 4. The observed mass loss is inconsistent with an origin either by rotational instability of the nucleus or by electrostatic ejection of regolith charged by sunlight. Dust ejection could be caused by the sudden but unexplained exposure of buried ice. However, the data are most simply explained by the impact, at similar to 5 km s(-1), of a previously unknown asteroid similar to 35m in diameter.}, language = {en} }