Publication detail

Fine-scale structure in cometary dust tails I: Analysis of striae in Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) through temporal mapping

PRICE, O. JONES, G. MORRILL, J. OWENS, M. BATTAMS, K. MORGAN, H. DRUCKMÜLLER, M. DEIRIES, S.

Original Title

Fine-scale structure in cometary dust tails I: Analysis of striae in Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) through temporal mapping

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Striated features, or striae, form in cometary dust tails due to an as-yet unconstrained process or processes. For the first time we directly display the formation of striae, at C/2006 P1 McNaught, using data from the SOHO LASCO C3 coronagraph. The nature of this formation suggests both fragmentation and shadowing effects are important in the formation process. Using the SOHO data with STEREO-A and B data from the HI-1 and HI-2 instruments, we display the evolution of these striae for two weeks, with a temporal resolution of two hours or better. This includes a period of morphological change on 2007 January 13-14 that we attribute to Lorentz forces caused by the comet's dust tail crossing the heliospheric current sheet. The nature of this interaction also implies a mixing of different sized dust along the striae, implying that fragmentation must be continuous or cascading. To enable this analysis, we have developed a new technique - temporal mapping - that displays cometary dust tails directly in the radiation beta (ratio of radiation pressure to gravity) and dust ejection time phase space. This allows for the combination of various data sets and the removal of transient motion and scaling effects.

Keywords

Comets, Dust, Plasma, Solar wind

Authors

PRICE, O.; JONES, G.; MORRILL, J.; OWENS, M.; BATTAMS, K.; MORGAN, H.; DRUCKMÜLLER, M.; DEIRIES, S.

Released

12. 9. 2018

Publisher

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE, 525 B ST, STE 1900, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-4495 USA

Location

SAN DIEGO, USA

ISBN

0019-1035

Periodical

ICARUS

Year of study

319

Number

1

State

United States of America

Pages from

540

Pages to

557

Pages count

18

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103518301192

BibTex

@article{BUT158953,
  author="Oliver {Price} and Geraint H. {Jones} and Jeff {Morrill} and Mathew {Owens} and Karl {Battams} and Huw {Morgan} and Miloslav {Druckmüller} and Sebastian {Deiries}",
  title="Fine-scale structure in cometary dust tails I: Analysis of striae in Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) through temporal mapping",
  journal="ICARUS",
  year="2018",
  volume="319",
  number="1",
  pages="540--557",
  doi="10.1016/j.icarus.2018.09.013",
  issn="0019-1035",
  url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103518301192"
}