Abstract
This paper presents a current experimental program concerning the study of the photochemical evolution of the organic matter ejected from the cometary nucleus. The aim of the work is to better understand, using laboratory simulations, the mechanisms which are involved in the degradation of the high molecular weight organics in cometary ices and dust when they are submitted to the warming up and to the bombardment of photons in the surrounding area of the Sun. This experimental study will establish correlations between the nucleus and the molecular composition of the coma. Furthermore, experimental data will provide useful information to bring to a close the question of the origin of the extended sources of H2CO and CO. Polyoxymethylene, suspected to be present in the cometary nucleus, is often mentioned as a possible parent molecule for the extended source of H2CO. In order to test this hypothesis, irradiation of POM has been performed at 147 nm. The preliminary results show effectively H2CO as one photodegradation product as well as CO. C02 and HCOOH. Tentative detections of CH30CH3, CH3OCH2OCH3, CH3OCHO and C3H6O3 are also presented.
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