Harald Krüger

Aspects of the mass distribution of interstellar dust grains in the solar system from in situ measurements

The in situ detection of interstellar dust grains in the solar system by the dust instruments on-board the Ulysses and Galileo spacecraft as well as the recent measurements of hyperbolic radar meteors give information on the properties of the interstellar solid particle population in the solar vicinity. Especially the distribution of grain masses is indicative of growth and destruction mechanisms that govern the grain evolution in the interstellar medium. The mass of an impacting dust grain is derived from its impact velocity and the amount of plasma generated by the impact. Because the initial velocity and the dynamics of interstellar particles in the solar system are well known, we use an approximated theoretical instead of the measured impact velocity to derive the mass of interstellar grains from the Ulysses and Galileo in situ data. The revised mass distributions are steeper and thus contain less large grains than the ones that use measured impact velocities, but large grains still contribute significantly to the overall mass of the detected grains. The flux of interstellar grains with masses > 10−14 kg is determined to be 1 × 10−6 m−2 s−1. The comparison of radar data with the extrapolation of the Ulysses and Galileo mass distribution indicates that the very large (m > 10−10 kg) hyperbolic meteoroids detected by the radar are not kinematically related to the interstellar dust population detected by the spacecraft.

Detection of an impact-generated dust cloud around Ganymede

Dust pervades the Solar System, and is concentrated in the ring systems surrounding the giant planets and along the plane of the planetary orbits (the Zodiacal cloud). Individual dust grains are thought to be generated when impacts loft material from larger bodies,,, 27 such as satellites. Uncertainties in theoretical models of this ejection process are large, and there have hitherto been no direct measurements with which to constrain these models. Here we report in situ measurements of submicrometre dust within a few radii of Jupiters satellite Ganymede. The directions, speeds and distribution of masses of the grains indicate that they come from Ganymede, and are consistent with an ejection process resulting from hypervelocity impacts of interplanetary dust onto Ganymedes surface. Dust appears also to be concentrated near Callisto and Europa, suggesting that these satellites too are significant sources of dusty debris.

A dust cloud of Ganymede maintained by hypervelocity impacts of interplanetary micrometeoroids

Abstract A dust cloud of Ganymede has been detected by in situ measurements with the dust detector onboard the Galileo spacecraft. The dust grains have been sensed at altitudes below five Ganymede radii (Ganymede radius =2635 km ). Our analysis identifies the particles in the dust cloud surrounding Ganymede by their impact direction, impact velocity, and mass distribution and implies that they have been kicked up by hypervelocity impacts of micrometeoroids onto the satellites surface. We calculate the radial density profile of the particles ejected from the satellite by interplanetary dust grains. We assume the yields, mass and velocity distributions of the ejecta obtained from laboratory impact experiments onto icy targets and consider the dynamics of the ejected grains in ballistic and escaping trajectories near Ganymede. The spatial dust density profile calculated with interplanetary particles as impactors is consistent with the profile derived from the Galileo measurements. The contribution of interstellar grains as projectiles is negligible. Dust measurements in the vicinities of satellites by spacecraft detectors are suggested as a beneficial tool to obtain more knowledge about the satellite surfaces, as well as dusty planetary rings maintained by satellites through the impact ejecta mechanism.

The Dust Halo of Saturn's Largest Icy Moon, Rhea

Saturns moon Rhea had been considered massive enough to retain a thin, externally generated atmosphere capable of locally affecting Saturns magnetosphere. The Cassini spacecrafts in situ observations reveal that energetic electrons are depleted in the moons vicinity. The absence of a substantial exosphere implies that Rheas magnetospheric interaction region, rather than being exclusively induced by sputtered gas and its products, likely contains solid material that can absorb magnetospheric particles. Combined observations from several instruments suggest that this material is in the form of grains and boulders up to several decimetres in size and orbits Rhea as an equatorial debris disk. Within this disk may reside denser, discrete rings or arcs of material.

Galileo observes electromagnetically coupled dust in the Jovian magnetosphere

Measurements of dust coupled to the Jovian magnetosphere have been obtained with the dust detector on board the Galileo spacecraft. We report on data obtained during the first four orbits about Jupiter that had flybys of the Galilean satellites: Ganymede (orbits 1 and 2), Callisto (orbit 3), and Europa (orbit 4). The most prominent features observed are highly time variable dust streams recorded throughout the Jovian system. The impact rate varied by up to 2 orders of magnitude with a 5 and 10 hour periodicity, which shows a correlation with Galileos position relative to the Jovian magnetic field. Around 20 RJ (Jupiter radius, RJ=71, 492 km) in bound a dip in the impact rate has been found consistently. At the same times, reversals by 180° in impact direction occurred. This behavior can be qualitatively explained by strong coupling of nanometer-sized dust to the Jovian magnetic field. At times of satellite flybys, enhanced rates of dust impacts have been observed, which suggests that all Galilean satellites are sources of ejecta particles. Inside about 20 RJ impacts of micrometer-sized particles have been recorded that could be particles on bound orbits about Jupiter. (Less)

Organic compounds on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko revealed by COSAC mass spectrometry

Comets harbor the most pristine material in our solar system in the form of ice, dust, silicates, and refractory organic material with some interstellar heritage. The evolved gas analyzer Cometary Sampling and Composition (COSAC) experiment aboard Rosetta’s Philae lander was designed for in situ analysis of organic molecules on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Twenty-five minutes after Philae’s initial comet touchdown, the COSAC mass spectrometer took a spectrum in sniffing mode, which displayed a suite of 16 organic compounds, including many nitrogen-bearing species but no sulfur-bearing species, and four compounds—methyl isocyanate, acetone, propionaldehyde, and acetamide—that had not previously been reported in comets.

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko: Close-up on Dust Particle Fragments

The COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser instrument on board ESAs Rosetta mission has collected dust particles in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During the early-orbit phase of the Rosetta mission, particles and particle agglomerates have been imaged and analyzed in the inner coma at distances between 100 km and 10 km off the cometary nucleus and at more than 3 AU from the Sun. We identified 585 particles of more than 14 μm in size. The particles are collected at low impact speeds and constitute a sample of the dust particles in the inner coma impacting and fragmenting on the targets. The sizes of the particles range from 14 μm up to sub-millimeter sizes and the differential dust flux size distribution is fitted with a power law exponent of -3.1. After impact, the larger particles tend to stick together, spread out or consist of single or a group of clumps, and the flocculent morphology of the fragmented particles is revealed. The elemental composition of the dust particles is heterogeneous and the particles could contain typical silicates like olivine and pyroxenes, as well as iron sulfides. The sodium to iron elemental ratio is enriched with regard to abundances in CI carbonaceous chondrites by a factor from ˜1.5 to ˜15. No clear evidence for organic matter has been identified. The composition and morphology of the collected dust particles appear to be similar to that of interplanetary dust particles.

Broadband infrared photometry of comet Hale-Bopp with ISOPHOT

Comet Hale-Bopp was observed ve times with ISOPHOT, the photometer on board ESAs Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) between 4.6 and 2.8 AU. Each time, broadband photometry was performed using 4 dierent detectors, 5 apertures and 10 lters covering the range between 3.6 and 170 m. Background ob- servations were performed with identical instrument settings at the same positions on the sky several days after the comet observations. The observation strategy and the data reduction steps are described in some detail, including the techniques to correct for variable detector responsivity. The resulting inband power values of the Hale-Bopp observations and their uncertainties are given. The mean uncertainty is 25%. The nal fluxes were computed, taking into account the zodiacal background, possible oset of the comets position from the center of the aperture, the brightness distribution within the coma, and the spectral energy distribution of the comets emission. Strong thermal emission from a broad size distribution of dust particles was detected in all of the data sets, even at r =4 :6{4:9 AU pre-perihelion and 3.9 AU post-perihelion; the total thermal energy varied as r 3 . The 7.3{12.8 m color temperature was1.5 times the blackbody temperature, higher than that observed in any other comet. Silicate features at 10 and 25 m were prominent in all 5 data sets, the largest heliocentric distances that silicate emission has been detected in a comet. The presence of crystalline water ice grains is suggested from the 60 m excess emission at 4.6{4.9 AU, consistent with the observed QOH if the icy grains were slightly warmer than an equilibrium blackbody. The average albedo of the dust is higher than that of comet P/Halley, but lower than other albedo measurements for Hale-Bopp nearer perihelion. There is no evidence for a component of cold, bright icy grains enhancing the scattered light at 4.6 AU. Simple models for a mixture of silicate and absorbing grains were t to the ISO spectra and photometry at 2.8 AU. The observed flux at >100 mr equires a size distribution in which most of the mass is concentrated in large particles. Dust production rates of order 1:5 10 5 kg s 1 at 2.8 AU and 3 10 4 kg s 1 at 4.6 AU have been found. They correspond to dust to gas mass ratios of 6 to 10.

High-molecular-weight organic matter in the particles of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

The presence of solid carbonaceous matter in cometary dust was established by the detection of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen in particles from comet 1P/Halley. Such matter is generally thought to have originated in the interstellar medium, but it might have formed in the solar nebula—the cloud of gas and dust that was left over after the Sun formed. This solid carbonaceous material cannot be observed from Earth, so it has eluded unambiguous characterization. Many gaseous organic molecules, however, have been observed; they come mostly from the sublimation of ices at the surface or in the subsurface of cometary nuclei. These ices could have been formed from material inherited from the interstellar medium that suffered little processing in the solar nebula. Here we report the in situ detection of solid organic matter in the dust particles emitted by comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko; the carbon in this organic material is bound in very large macromolecular compounds, analogous to the insoluble organic matter found in the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. The organic matter in meteorites might have formed in the interstellar medium and/or the solar nebula, but was almost certainly modified in the meteorites’ parent bodies. We conclude that the observed cometary carbonaceous solid matter could have the same origin as the meteoritic insoluble organic matter, but suffered less modification before and/or after being incorporated into the comet.

Analysis of the sensor characteristics of the Galileo dust detector with collimated Jovian dust stream particles

Abstract The Dust Detector System onboard Galileo records dust impacts in the Jupiter system. Impact events are classified into four quality classes. Class 3, our highest quality class, has always been noise-free and, therefore, contains only true dust impacts. Depending on the noise environment, Class 2 are dust impacts or noise. Within 20 R J from Jupiter (Jupiter radius, R J = 71,492 km) Class 2 shows clear indications for contamination by noise. We analyse the dust data from Galileos prime Jupiter mission (1996 and 1997), separate dust impacts from noise events and derive a complete denoised set of Galileo dust data (Classes 2 and 3). Collimated streams of nanometer-sized dust particles which have been detected throughout the Jovian system (Grun et al., 1998, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 20,011–20,022) are used to analyse the sensitive area and the field of view of the dust detector itself. The sensitive area for stream particles which trigger Class 3 events is 110±37 cm 2 . This is almost a factor of ten smaller than the total sensitive area for Class 2 impacts (1000 cm 2 ). Correspondingly, the field of view of the detector for Class 3 stream particles is reduced from 140 to 96°. The magnetometer boom and other instruments on board Galileo cause a significant shadowing of the field of view of the dust sensor. Our analysis is supplementary to ground calibrations of the dust instrument because the low masses and high speeds of the stream particles could not be achieved in the laboratory. Our new results have important consequences for the analysis of dust in the Jupiter system.