On the reflectance of dust in comets

Abstract

Reflectance of cometary dust is a key parameter used in the characterization of comets. In the literature, the reflectance of single-scattering cometary dust particles is widely assumed to be the same as that of the cometary nucleus. We discuss this assumption and demonstrate its inconsistency with photometric observations of comets, laboratory optical measurements, and numerical simulation of light scattering from single-scattering dust particles and particulate surfaces composed of the same particles. We estimate the reflectance of cometary dust particles using a comprehensive physical model of polarization measured in comets over wide range of phase angle and at different wavelengths in the visible. The model predicts that the reflectance of dust in comets inversely correlates with their maximum of positive polarization Pmax. We find that even the darkest dust particles appearing in comets with the highest Pmax, reflect considerably more incident solar-radiation energy, up to 200%, compared to what is thought for cometary nuclei. We also find that the reflectance retrieved from polarimetry in the visible appears in good quantitative accordance with previous estimations from infrared observations of comets. Our findings suggest that the dust production of comets is currently overestimated and may require revision.