Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer For Ion And Neutral Analysis Research Articles

Origin and trends in NH4+ observed in the coma of 67P

ABSTRACT The European Space Agency/Rosetta mission escorted comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and witnessed the evolution of its coma from low activity (∼2.5–3.8 au) to rich ion-neutral chemistry (∼1.2–2.0 au). We present an analysis of the ion composition in the coma, focusing on the presence of protonated high proton affinity (HPA) species, in particular $\mathrm{{ NH}_{4}}^{+}$. This ion is produced through the protonation of NH3 and is an indicator of the level of ion-neutral chemistry in the coma. We aim to assess the importance of this process compared with other $\mathrm{{ NH}_{4}}^{+}$ sources, such as the dissociation of ammonium salts embedded in dust grains. The analysis of $\mathrm{{ NH}_{4}}^{+}$ has been possible thanks to the high mass resolution of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis/Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (ROSINA/DFMS). In this work, we examine the $\mathrm{{ NH}_{4}}^{+}$ data set alongside data from the Rosetta Plasma Consortium instruments, and against outputs from our in-house ionospheric model. We show that increased comet outgassing around perihelion yields more detections of $\mathrm{{ NH}_{4}}^{+}$ and other protonated HPA species, which results from more complex ion-neutral chemistry occurring in the coma. We also reveal a link between the low magnetic field strength associated with the diamagnetic cavity and higher $\mathrm{{ NH}_{4}}^{+}$ counts. This suggests that transport inside and outside the diamagnetic cavity is very different, which is consistent with 3D hybrid simulations of the coma: non-radial plasma dynamics outside the diamagnetic cavity is an important factor affecting the ion composition.

Complex organosulfur molecules on comet 67P: Evidence from the ROSINA measurements and insights from laboratory simulations.

The ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) instrument aboard the Rosetta mission revolutionized our understanding of cometary material composition. One of Rosetta's key findings is the complexity of the composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Here, we used ROSINA data to analyze dust particles that were volatilized during a dust event in September 2016 and report the detection of large organosulfur species and an increase in the abundances of sulfurous species previously detected in the coma. Our data support the presence of complex sulfur-bearing organics on the surface of the comet. In addition, we conducted laboratory simulations that show that this material may have formed from chemical reactions that were initiated by the irradiation of mixed ices containing H2S. Our findings highlight the importance of sulfur chemistry in cometary and precometary materials and the possibility of characterizing organosulfur materials in other comets and small icy bodies using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Multi-instrument analysis of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko coma particles: COPS-GIADA data fusion

Context. The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has offered scientists the opportunity to study a comet in unprecedented detail. Four instruments of the Rosetta orbiter, namely, the Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS), the Grain Impact Analyzer and Dust Accumulator (GIADA), the COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser (COSIMA), and the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) have provided information on cometary dust particles. Cross-instrument comparisons are crucial to characterize cometary dust particles beyond the capabilities of individual sensors, as they are sensitive to different dust components. Aims. We present the first comparison between detections of the ROSINA COmet Pressure Sensor (COPS) and GIADA. These two instruments are complementary as the former is sensitive solely to volatiles of icy particles, while the latter measured the dust particle as a whole, including refractories and condensed (semi)volatiles. Our goal is to correlate the particles detected by COPS and GIADA and to assess whether they belong to a common group. Methods. We statistically analyzed the in situ data of COPS and GIADA by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients. Results. Among the several types of particles detected by GIADA, we find that COPS particles are significantly correlated solely with GIADA fluffy agglomerates (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.55 and p-value of 4.6 × 10−3). This suggests that fluffy particles are composed of both refractories and volatiles. COPS volatile volumes, which may be represented by equivalent spheres with a diameter in the range between 0.06 µm and 0.8 µm, are similar to the sizes of the fractal particle’s subunits identified by MIDAS (i.e., 0.05–0.18 µm).

Detection of volatiles undergoing sublimation from 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko coma particles using ROSINA/COPS

Context. In an earlier study, we reported that the ram gauge of the COmet Pressure Sensor (COPS), one of the three instruments of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA), could be used to obtain information about the sublimating content of icy particles, made up of volatiles and conceivably refractories coming from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Aims. In this work, we extend the investigation to the second COPS gauge, the nude gauge. In particular, we analyse the volume of the volatile content of coma particles, along with a search for possible dependencies between the nude gauge detection rate (i.e. the rate at which icy particles are detected by the nude gauge) and the position of the Rosetta spacecraft. We also investigate the correlations of the nude gauge detection rate with the quantities associated with cometary activity. Methods. We inspected the density measurements made by the nude gauge for features attributable to the presence of icy particles inside the instrument. These data were then analysed statistically based on the amplitude of the feature and on the position of the spacecraft at the time of detection. Results. Although it was not originally designed for such a purpose, the COPS nude gauge has been able to detect ~67 000 features generated by the sublimation of the volatile content of icy particles. The nude gauge detection rate follows a trend that is inversely proportional to the heliocentric distance. This result is interpreted as a confirmation of a possible relation between the nude gauge detection rate and cometary activity. Thus, we compared the former with parameters related to cometary activity and obtained significant correlations, indicating that the frequency of icy particle detection is driven by cometary activity. Furthermore, by representing the volatile part of the icy particles as equivalent spheres with a density of 1 g cm−3, we obtained a range of diameters between 60 and 793 nm, with the smaller ones (<390 nm in diameter) having a size distribution power index of −4.79 ± 0.26.

Multi-instrument analysis of far-ultraviolet aurora in the southern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Aims.We aim to determine whether dissociative excitation of cometary neutrals by electron impact is the major source of far-ultraviolet (FUV) emissions at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the southern hemisphere at large heliocentric distances, both during quiet conditions and impacts of corotating interaction regions observed in the summer of 2016.Methods.We combined multiple datasets from the Rosetta mission through a multi-instrument analysis to complete the first forward modelling of FUV emissions in the southern hemisphere of comet 67P and compared modelled brightnesses to observations with the Alice FUV imaging spectrograph. We modelled the brightness of OI1356, OI1304, Lyman-β, CI1657, and CII1335 emissions, which are associated with the dissociation products of the four major neutral species in the coma: CO2, H2O, CO, and O2. The suprathermal electron population was probed by the Ion and Electron Sensor of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium and the neutral column density was constrained by several instruments: the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA), the Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter and the Visual InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer.Results.The modelled and observed brightnesses of the FUV emission lines agree closely when viewing nadir and dissociative excitation by electron impact is shown to be the dominant source of emissions away from perihelion. The CII1335 emissions are shown to be consistent with the volume mixing ratio of CO derived from ROSINA. When viewing the limb during the impacts of corotating interaction regions, the model reproduces brightnesses of OI1356 and CI1657 well, but resonance scattering in the extended coma may contribute significantly to the observed Lyman-βand OI1304 emissions. The correlation between variations in the suprathermal electron flux and the observed FUV line brightnesses when viewing the comet’s limb suggests electrons are accelerated on large scales and that they originate in the solar wind. This means that the FUV emissions are auroral in nature.

Investigating the Rosetta/RTOF observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using a comet nucleus model: influence of dust mantle and trapped CO

Context.Cometary outgassing is induced by the sublimation of ices and the ejection of dust originating from the nucleus. Therefore measuring the composition and dynamics of the cometary gas provides information concerning the interior composition of the body. Nevertheless, the bulk composition differs from the coma composition, and numerical models are required to simulate the main physical processes induced by the illumination of the icy body.Aims.The objectives of this study are to bring new constraints on the interior composition of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P) by comparing the results of a thermophysical model applied to the nucleus of 67P and the coma measurements made by the Reflectron-type Time-Of-Flight (RTOF) mass spectrometer. This last is one of the three instruments of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA), used during the Rosetta mission.Methods.Using a thermophysical model of the comet nucleus, we studied the evolution of the stratigraphy (position of the sublimation and crystallisation fronts), the temperature of the surface and subsurface, and the dynamics and spatial distribution of the volatiles (H2O, CO2and CO). We compared them with the in situ measurements from ROSINA/RTOF and an inverse coma model.Results.We observed the evolution of the surface and near surface temperature, and the deepening of sublimation fronts. The thickness of the dust layer covering the surface strongly influences the H2O outgassing but not the more volatiles species. The CO outgassing is highly sensitive to the initial CO/H2O ratio, as well as to the presence of trapped CO in the amorphous ice.Conclusions.The study of the influence of the initial parameters on the computed volatile fluxes and the comparison with ROSINA/RTOF measurements provide a range of values for an initial dust mantle thickness and a range of values for the volatile ratio. These imply the presence of trapped CO. Nevertheless, further studies are required to reproduce the strong change of behaviour observed in RTOF measurements between September 2014 and February 2015.

ALMA and ROSINA detections of phosphorus-bearing molecules: the interstellar thread between star-forming regions and comets

ABSTRACT To understand how phosphorus (P)-bearing molecules are formed in star-forming regions, we have analysed the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of PN and PO towards the massive star-forming region AFGL 5142, combined with a new analysis of the data of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko taken with the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument onboard Rosetta. The ALMA maps show that the emission of PN and PO arises from several spots associated with low-velocity gas with narrow linewidths in the cavity walls of a bipolar outflow. PO is more abundant than PN in most of the spots, with the PO/PN ratio increasing as a function of the distance to the protostar. Our data favour a formation scenario in which shocks sputter phosphorus from the surface of dust grains, and gas-phase photochemistry induced by UV photons from the protostar allows efficient formation of the two species in the cavity walls. Our analysis of the ROSINA data has revealed that PO is the main carrier of P in the comet, with PO/PN > 10. Since comets may have delivered a significant amount of prebiotic material to the early Earth, this finding suggests that PO could contribute significantly to the phosphorus reservoir during the dawn of our planet. There is evidence that PO was already in the cometary ices prior to the birth of the Sun, so the chemical budget of the comet might be inherited from the natal environment of the Solar system, which is thought to be a stellar cluster including also massive stars.

Two years with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: H2O, CO2, and CO as seen by the ROSINA/RTOF instrument of Rosetta

Context. The ESA Rosetta mission investigated the environment of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P) from August 2014 to September 2016. One of the experiments on board the spacecraft, the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) included a COmet Pressure Sensor (COPS) and two mass spectrometers to analyze the composition of neutrals and ions, the Reflectron-type Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometer (RTOF), and the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS). Aims. RTOF species detections cover the whole mission. This allows us to study the seasonal evolution of the main volatiles (H2O, CO2, and CO) and their spatial distributions. Methods. We studied the RTOF dataset during the two-year long comet escort phase focusing on the study of H2O, CO2, and CO. We also present the detection by RTOF of O2, the fourth main volatile recorded in the coma of 67P. This work includes the calibration of spectra and the analysis of the signature of the four volatiles. We present the analysis of the dynamics of the main volatiles and visualize the distribution by projecting our results onto the surface of the nucleus. The temporal and spatial heterogeneities of H2O, CO2, and CO are studied over the two years of mission, but the O2 is only studied over a two-month period. Results. The global outgassing evolution follows the expected asymmetry with respect to perihelion. The CO/CO2 ratio is not constant through the mission, even though both species appear to originate from the same regions of the nucleus. The outgassing of CO2 and CO was more pronounced in the southern than in the northern hemisphere, except for the time from August to October 2014. We provide a new and independent estimate of the relative abundance of O2. Conclusions. We show evidence of a change in molecular ratios throughout the mission. We observe a clear north-south dichotomy in the coma composition, suggesting a composition dichotomy between the outgassing layers of the two hemispheres. Our work indicates that CO2 and CO are located on the surface of the southern hemisphere as a result of the strong erosion during the previous perihelion. We also report a cyclic occurrence of CO and CO2 detections in the northern hemisphere. We discuss two scenarios: devolatilization of transported wet dust grains from south to north, and different stratigraphy for the upper layers of the cometary nucleus between the two hemispheres.

The surface distributions of the production of the major volatile species, H2O, CO2, CO and O2, from the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko throughout the Rosetta Mission as measured by the ROSINA double focusing mass spectrometer

The Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) suite of instruments operated throughout the over two years of the Rosetta mission operations in the vicinity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It measured gas densities and composition throughout the comet's atmosphere, or coma. Here we present two-years' worth of measurements of the relative densities of the four major volatile species in the coma of the comet, H2O, CO2, CO and O2, by one of the ROSINA sub-systems called the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS). The absolute total gas densities were provided by the Comet Pressure Sensor (COPS), another ROSINA sub-system. DFMS is a very high mass resolution and high sensitivity mass spectrometer able to resolve at a tiny fraction of an atomic mass unit. We have analyzed the combined DFMS and COPS measurements using an inversion scheme based on spherical harmonics that solves for the distribution of potential surface activity of each species as the comet rotates, changing solar illumination, over short time intervals and as the comet changes distance from the sun and orientation of its spin axis over long time intervals. We also use the surface boundary conditions derived from the inversion scheme to simulate the whole coma with our fully kinetic Direct Simulation Monte Carlo model and calculate the production rates of the four major species throughout the mission. We compare the derived production rates with revised remote sensing observations by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) as well as with published observations from the Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO). Finally we use the variation of the surface production of the major species to calculate the total mass loss over the mission and, for different estimates of the dust/gas ratio, calculate the variation of surface loss all over the nucleus.

Ingredients for solar-like systems: protostar IRAS 16293-2422 B versus comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

ABSTRACT Our modern day Solar System has 4.6 × 109 yr of evolution behind it with just a few relics of its birth conditions remaining. Comets are thought to be some of the most pristine tracers of the initial ingredients that were combined to produce the Earth and the other planets. Other low-mass protostars may be analogous to our proto-Sun and hence, could be used to study the building blocks necessary to form Solar-like systems. This study tests this idea on the basis of new high sensitivity, high spatial resolution ALMA data on the protoplanetary disc-scales (∼70 au) of IRAS 16293-2422 and the bulk composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as determined for the first time with the unique in situ monitoring carried out by Rosetta. The comparative analysis of the observations from the Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS) and the measurements made with Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) shows that the relative abundances of CHO-, N-, and S-bearing molecules correlate, with some scatter, between protostellar and cometary data. A tentative correlation is seen for the first time for P- and Cl-bearing compounds. The results imply that the volatile composition of cometesimals and planetesimals is partially inherited from the pre- and protostellar phases of evolution.

Surface localization of gas sources on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko based on DFMS/COPS data

We reconstruct the temporal evolution of the source distribution for the four major gas species H2O, CO2, CO, and O2 on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during its 2015 apparition. The analysis applies an inverse coma model and fits to data between August 6th 2014 and September 5th 2016 measured with the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) and the COmet Pressure Sensor (COPS). The spatial distribution of gas sources with their temporal variation allows one to construct surface maps for gas emissions and to evaluate integrated productions rates. For all species peak production rates and integrated productions rates per orbit are evaluated separately for the northern and the southern hemisphere. The nine most active emitting areas on the comet's surface are defined and their correlation to emissions for each of the species is discussed.

Origin of Molecular Oxygen in Comets: Current Knowledge and Perspectives.

The Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument onboard the Rosetta spacecraft has measured molecular oxygen (O2) in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) in surprisingly high abundances. These measurements mark the first unequivocal detection of O2 in a cometary environment. The large relative abundance of O2 in 67P/C-G despite its high reactivity and low interstellar abundance poses a puzzle for its origin in comet 67P/C-G, and potentially other comets. Since its detection, there have been a number of hypotheses put forward to explain the production and origin of O2 in the comet. These hypotheses cover a wide range of possibilities from various in situ production mechanisms to protosolar nebula and primordial origins. Here, we review the O2 formation mechanisms from the literature, and provide a comprehensive summary of the current state of knowledge of the sources and origin of cometary O2.

The near-nucleus gas coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko prior to the descent of the surface lander PHILAE

Context. The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta mission was the most comprehensive study of a comet ever performed. In particular, the Rosetta orbiter, which carried many instruments for monitoring the evolution of the dusty gas emitted by the cometary nucleus, returned an enormous volume of observational data collected from the close vicinity of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Aims. Such data are expected to yield unique information on the physical processes of gas and dust emission, using current physical model fits to the data. We present such a model (the RZC model) and our procedure of adjustment of this model to the data. Methods. The RZC model consists of two components: (1) a numerical three-dimensional time-dependent code solving the Eulerian/Navier-Stokes equations governing the gas outflow, and a direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) gaskinetic code with the same objective; and (2) an iterative procedure to adjust the assumed model parameters to best-fit the observational data at all times. Results. We demonstrate that our model is able to reproduce the overall features of the local neutral number density and composition measurements of Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) Comet Pressure Sensor (COPS) and Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) instruments in the period August 1–November 30, 2014. The results of numerical simulations show that illumination conditions on the nucleus are the main driver for the gas activity of the comet. We present the distribution of surface inhomogeneity best-fitted to the ROSINA COPS and DFMS in situ measurements.

Plasma source and loss at comet 67P during the Rosetta mission

Context.The Rosetta spacecraft provided us with a unique opportunity to study comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P) from a close perspective and over a 2-yr time period. Comet 67P is a weakly active comet. It was therefore unexpected to find an active and dynamic ionosphere where the cometary ions were largely dominant over the solar wind ions, even at large heliocentric distances.Aims.Our goal is to understand the different drivers of the cometary ionosphere and assess their variability over time and over the different conditions encountered by the comet during the Rosetta mission.Methods.We used a multi-instrument data-based ionospheric model to compute the total ion number density at the position of Rosetta. In-situ measurements from the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) and the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC)–Ion and Electron Sensor (IES), together with the RPC–LAngmuir Probe instrument (LAP) were used to compute the local ion total number density. The results are compared to the electron densities measured by RPC–Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP) and RPC–LAP.Results.We were able to disentangle the physical processes responsible for the formation of the cometary ions throughout the 2-yr escort phase and we evaluated their respective magnitudes. The main processes are photo-ionization and electron-impact ionization. The latter is a significant source of ionization at large heliocentric distance (>2 au) and was predominant during the last 4 months of the mission. The ionosphere was occasionally subject to singular solar events, temporarily increasing the ambient energetic electron population. Solar photons were the main ionizer near perihelion at 1.3 au from the Sun, during summer 2015.

Protostellar and cometary detections of organohalogens

Organohalogens, a class of molecules that contain at least one halogen atom bonded to carbon, are abundant on the Earth where they are mainly produced through industrial and biological processes 1 . Consequently, they have been proposed as biomarkers in the search for life on exoplanets 2 . Simple halogen hydrides have been detected in interstellar sources and in comets, but the presence and possible incorporation of more complex halogen-containing molecules such as organohalogens into planet-forming regions is uncertain 3,4 . Here we report the interstellar detection of two isotopologues of the organohalogen CH3Cl and put some constraints on CH3F in the gas surrounding the low-mass protostar IRAS 16293–2422, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We also find CH3Cl in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) by using the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument. The detections reveal an efficient pre-planetary formation pathway of organohalogens. Cometary impacts may deliver these species to young planets and should thus be included as a potential abiotical production source when interpreting future organohalogen detections in atmospheres of rocky planets. Chloromethane (CH3Cl) has been observed towards a low-mass protostar and comet 67P, making it the first organohalogen detected in space. The species was previously considered to be a biomarker, but the authors suggest viable alternative abiotic formation routes.

Cliffs versus plains: Can ROSINA/COPS and OSIRIS data of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in autumn 2014 constrain inhomogeneous outgassing?

Context. This paper describes the modelling of gas and dust data acquired in the period August to October 2014 from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft when it was in close proximity to the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.Aims. With our 3D gas and dust comae models this work attempts to test the hypothesis that cliff activity on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko can solely account for the local gas density data observed by the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) and the dust brightnesses seen by the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) in the considered time span.Methods. The model uses a previously developed shape model of the nucleus. From this, the water sublimation rates and gas temperatures at the surface are computed. The gas expansion is modelled with a 3D Direct Simulation Monte Carlo algorithm. A dust drag algorithm is then used to compute dust volume number densities in the coma, which are then converted to brightnesses using Mie theory and a line-of-sight integration. Furthermore we have studied the impact of topographic re-radiation on the models.Results. We show that gas activity from only cliff areas produces a fit to the ROSINA/COPS data that is as statistically good as a purely insolation-driven model. In contrast, pure cliff activity does not reproduce the dust brightness observed by OSIRIS and can thus be ruled out. On the other hand, gas activity from the Hapi region in addition to cliff activity produces a statistically better fit to the ROSINA/COPS data than purely insolation-driven outgassing and also fits the OSIRIS observations rather well. We found that topographic re-radiation does not contribute significantly to the sublimation behaviour of H2 O but plays an important role in how the gas flux interacts with the irregular shape of the nucleus.Conclusions. We demonstrate that fits to the observations are non-unique. We can conclude however that gas and dust activity from cliffs and the Hapi region are consistent with the ROSINA/COPS and OSIRIS data sets for the considered time span and are thus a plausible solution. Models with activity from low gravitational slopes alone provide a statistically inferior solution.

Dynamics of non-spherical dust in the coma of 67P/Churyumov– Gerasimenko constrained by GIADA and ROSINA data

Among the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) in situ measurements, the closest that have ever been performed at a comet nucleus, are also those of speed, mass, and crosssection of cometary grains performed by the Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator (GIADA) instrument. To interpret GIADA data, we performed dust dynamical numerical simulations with both spherical and non-spherical (spheroids) shapes. This allowed us to analyse howthe grain non-sphericity affects the data interpretation.We find that some measured dust speeds are unlikely reproducible when a spherical shape is considered.We considered two GIADA observational periods, 2015 February 19–27 and 2015 March 13–28. Gas parameters calibrated with the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) measurements have been used to retrieve the gas conditions to set up the dust particle motion. The dust grains are assumed to be out of the near nucleus coma, i.e. where the gas velocity is radial and constant, therefore they are either aligned or have random but constant orientation with respect to the gas drag. We reproduced the GIADA dust speeds, using spheres and two different spheroidal shapes. We find that the particle shapes that reproduce best the GIADA dust speeds are consistent with the particle shape constrained by the GIADA data. We obtain different terminal velocities for spherical and non-spherical particles of the same mass. The shape, which reproduces the GIADA data, is oblate rather than prolate spheroid. We obtain rotational frequencies of the spheroidal particles that best fit the GIADA measurements in these periods.

Ion composition at comet 67P near perihelion: Rosetta observations and model-based interpretation

We present the ion composition in the coma of comet 67P with newly detected ion species over the 28-37 u mass range, probed by Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA)/Dou ...

Change of outgassing pattern of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko during the March 2016 equinox as seen by ROSINA

As the spin axis of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P) is not normal to the orbital plane, 67P has strong seasonal changes in the illumination conditions on the nucleus’ surface, with a short and intense summer in the Southern hemisphere. We have been monitoring these seasonal variations in the gas coma with the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument suite aboard the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft. Rosetta followed 67P from its rendezvous in 2014 August, from a distance of almost 3.5 au to Sun, through perihelion at 1.24 au, and away from Sun again. In this study, we present the change of outgassing pattern during the 2016 March equinox based on measurements acquired with the ROSINA instruments: while H2O, O2 and NH3 abundances rapidly decreased during this period, CO2, CO, H2S, CH4 and HCN abundances decreased much less and showed a strong south–north heterogeneity for the whole period, thus not following Sun. Sublimation temperatures of the pure ices are found to be uncorrelated with the slope of the decrease for the minor species. This can be interpreted as a consequence of two different ice phases, water ice and CO2 ice, in which the minor species are embedded in different relative abundances.

Evidence for depletion of heavy silicon isotopes at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Context. The Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) was designed to measure the composition of the gas in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the target of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission. In addition to the volatiles, ROSINA measured refractories sputtered off the comet by the interaction of solar wind protons with the surface of the comet. Aims. The origin of different solar system materials is still heavily debated. Isotopic ratios can be used to distinguish between different reservoirs and investigate processes occurring during the formation of the solar system. Methods. ROSINA consisted of two mass spectrometers and a pressure sensor. In the ROSINA Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS), the neutral gas of cometary origin was ionized and then deflected in an electric and a magnetic field that separated the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio. The DFMS had a high mass resolution, dynamic range, and sensitivity that allowed detection of rare species and the known major volatiles. Results. We measured the relative abundance of all three stable silicon isotopes with the ROSINA instrument on board the Rosetta spacecraft. Furthermore, we measured $^{13}$C/$^{12}$C in C$_2$H$_4$, C$_2$H$_5$, and CO. The DFMS in situ measurements indicate that the average silicon isotopic composition shows depletion in the heavy isotopes $^{29}$Si and $^{30}$Si with respect to $^{28}$Si and solar abundances, while $^{13}$C to $^{12}$C is analytically indistinguishable from bulk planetary and meteorite compositions. Although the origin of the deficiency of the heavy silicon isotopes cannot be explained unambiguously, we discuss mechanisms that could have contributed to the measured depletion of the isotopes $^{29}$Si and $^{30}$Si.