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标题：The Composition of Comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) and the Distribution of Primary Volatile Abundances Among Comets
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作者：Nathan X. Roth ; Erika L. Gibb ; Boncho P. Bonev 等
期刊名称：The Astronomical journal
印刷版ISSN：0004-6256
电子版ISSN：1538-3881
出版年度：2017
卷号：153
期号：4
DOI：10.3847/1538-3881/aa5d18
语种：English
出版社：American Institute of Physics
摘要：On 2014 May 22 and 24 we characterized the volatile composition of the dynamically new Oort cloud comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) using the long-slit, high resolution (λ/Δλ ≈ 25,000) near-infrared echelle spectrograph (NIRSPEC) at the 10 m Keck II telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii. We detected fluorescent emission from six primary volatiles (H2O, HCN, CH4, C2H6, CH3OH, and CO). Upper limits were derived for C2H2, NH3, and H2CO. We report rotational temperatures, production rates, and mixing ratios (relative to water). Compared with median abundance ratios for primary volatiles in other sampled Oort cloud comets, trace gas abundance ratios in C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) for CO and HCN are consistent, but CH3OH and C2H6 are enriched while H2CO, CH4, and possibly C2H2 are depleted. When placed in context with comets observed in the near-infrared to date, the data suggest a continuous distribution of abundances of some organic volatiles (HCN, C2H6, CH3OH, CH4) among the comet population. The level of "enrichment" or "depletion" in a given comet does not necessarily correlate across all molecules sampled, suggesting that chemical diversity among comets may be more complex than the simple organics-enriched, organics-normal, and organics-depleted framework.
关键词：astrobiology;comets: individual: (C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS));methods: observational;planets and satellites: formation;techniques: spectroscopic Supporting material: data behind figures