Related papers: A link between the size and composition of comets
The formation mechanisms of the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, and the origin of their elemental and isotopic compositions, have long been debated. The density of solids in the outer protosolar nebula is too low to explain their formation,…
Aims: We aim to simulate radial profiles of molecular abundances and the gas temperature in cold and heavily shielded starless cores by combining chemical and radiative transfer models. Methods: A determination of the dust temperature in a…
Evidence for cometary activity beyond Jupiter and Saturn's orbits -- such as that observed for Centaurs and long period comets -- suggests that the thermal processing of comet nuclei starts long before they enter the inner Solar System,…
We explore the emergence of complex structures within reaction networks, focusing on nuclear reaction networks relevant to stellar nucleosynthesis. The work presents a theoretical framework rooted in Chemical Organization Theory (COT) to…
Conditions in the protosolar nebula have left their mark in the composition of cometary volatiles, thought to be some of the most pristine material in the solar system. Cometary compositions represent the end point of processing that began…
The supersolar abundances of volatiles observed in giant planets suggest that a compositional gradient was present at the time of their formation in the protosolar nebula. To explain this gradient, several studies have investigated the…
Explaining the unexpected presence of dune-like patterns at the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko requires conceptual and quantitative advances in the understanding of surface and outgassing processes. We show here that vapor…
Molecular oxygen has been the subject of many observational searches as chemical models predicted it to be a reservoir of oxygen. Although it has been detected in two regions of the interstellar medium, its rarity is a challenge for…
Recent observations of the long period comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS) indicate an unusually high N2/CO abundance ratio, typically larger than 0.05, and at least 2-3 times higher than the one measured in 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Another…
The thermodynamic properties of the hot plasma in galaxy clusters retains information on the processes leading to the formation and evolution of the gas in their deep, dark matter potential wells. These processes are dictated not only by…
In this paper we analyze the dynamical behavior of large dust grains in the vicinity of a cometary nucleus. To this end we consider the gravitational field of the irregularly shaped body, as well as its electric and magnetic fields. Without…
We study the influence of the turbulent transport on ice chemistry in protoplanetary disks, focusing on carbon and nitrogen bearing molecules. Chemical rate equations are solved with the diffusion term, mimicking the turbulent mixing in the…
By plotting empirical chemical element abundances on Earth relative to the Sun and normalized to silicon versus their first ionization potentials, we confirm the existence of a correlation reported earlier. To explain this, we develop a…
Chondrules represent one of the best probes of the physical conditions and processes acting in the early solar nebula. Proposed chondrule formation models are assessed based on their ability to match the meteoritic evidence, especially…
We use an end-to-end model of planet formation, thermodynamic evolution, and atmospheric escape to investigate how the statistical imprints of evaporation depend on the bulk composition of planetary cores (rocky vs. icy). We find that the…
Comets display with decreasing solar distance an increased emission of gas and dust particles, leading to the formation of the coma and tail. Spacecraft missions provide insight in the temporal and spatial variations of the dust and gas…
Star formation is intimately linked to the dynamical evolution of molecular clouds. Turbulent fragmentation determines where and when protostellar cores form, and how they contract and grow in mass via accretion from the surrounding cloud…
Context. The fragmentation of massive molecular clumps into smaller, potentially star-forming cores plays a key role in the processes of high-mass star formation. The ALMAGAL project offers high-resolution data to investigate these…
The flux and nuclear composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays depend on the cosmic distribution of their sources. Data from cosmic ray observatories are yet inconclusive about their exact location or distribution, but provide a measure…
Context: The chemical composition of a molecular cloud changes dramatically as it collapses to form a low-mass protostar and circumstellar disk. Two-dimensional (2D) chemodynamical models are required to properly study this process. Aims:…