ISSN:
1573-0794
Keywords:
Radio line emission
;
comets
;
comet Hale-Bopp
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
Notes:
Abstract K-band radio observations of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) were conducted in March/April 1997 at the 100-m Telescope of the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie. Emission was firmly detected from the five lowest metastable (J = K)inversion transitions of ammonia. Assuming a thermal distribution for the metastable states of NH3, we derive a rotational temperature of 104 ± 30 K and an ammonia production rate at perihelion of6.6 ± 1.3 × 1028 s-1.The updated ammonia-to-water abundance ratio is found to be of the order of 1.0%. We also report a marginal detection of the 616–523transition line of water at λ = 1.35 cm.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1006246606131
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