The impact of cometary outbursts on the orbits of comets in the Oort cloud

IF 2.5 2区物理与天体物理 Q2 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

Icarus Pub Date : 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116547

A.Y. Merkulova, A.K. Pavlov, D.V. Belousov

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The surface layers of cometary nuclei are intensively irradiated by high energy protons, α-particles and heavy ions of galactic cosmic ray (GCR), leading to the formation of ions and radicals in the comet's matter. At low temperatures, high concentrations of radicals accumulated in the ice can be followed by a rapid release of energy during spontaneous or induced recombination. This process can provoke a gas release from the comet's surface layers. The resulting gas flux leads to a change in the velocity of comets, which affects the stability of their orbits. Repeated outbursts can occur over the comet's lifetime in the Oort cloud. This mechanism depends on the comet's size, the initial eccentricity, and the ejected mass during the outburst. We modeled the impact of repeated cometary outbursts on the orbits of comets in the Oort cloud. The results indicate that 49.5 % of comets with radii R_c = 0.4 km and 72.4 % of comets with R_c = 0.3 km and initial eccentricities e_c ≥ 0.9 could leave the Oort cloud due to repeated outbursts. This fraction leaving comets for the initial eccentricities e_c > 0 is 19.3 % for R_c = 0.4 km and 54.1 % for R_c = 0.3 km, respectively. The mechanism has the most effect on highly elongated orbits of comets.

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来源期刊

Icarus 地学天文-天文与天体物理

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

18.80%

发文量

356

审稿时长

2-4 weeks

期刊介绍： Icarus is devoted to the publication of original contributions in the field of Solar System studies. Manuscripts reporting the results of new research - observational, experimental, or theoretical - concerning the astronomy, geology, meteorology, physics, chemistry, biology, and other scientific aspects of our Solar System or extrasolar systems are welcome. The journal generally does not publish papers devoted exclusively to the Sun, the Earth, celestial mechanics, meteoritics, or astrophysics. Icarus does not publish papers that provide "improved" versions of Bode''s law, or other numerical relations, without a sound physical basis. Icarus does not publish meeting announcements or general notices. Reviews, historical papers, and manuscripts describing spacecraft instrumentation may be considered, but only with prior approval of the editor. An entire issue of the journal is occasionally devoted to a single subject, usually arising from a conference on the same topic. The language of publication is English. American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these.