Ammonium salts are a reservoir of nitrogen on a cometary nucleus and possibly on some asteroids

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7462
• Publication Date: 2020-03-12T23:05:26Z
• Authors: Olivier Poch; Istiqomah Istiqomah; Eric Quirico; Pierre Beck; Bernard Schmitt; Patrice Theulé; Alexandre Faure; Pierre Hily-Blant; Lydie Bonal; Andrea Raponi; Mauro Ciarniello; Batiste Rousseau; Sandra Potin; Olivier Brissaud; Laurène Flandinet; Gianrico Filacchione; Antoine Pommerol; Nicolas Thomas; David Kappel; Vito Mennella; Lyuba Moroz; Vassilissa Vinogr...; Gabriele Arnold; Stéphane Erard; Dominique Bockelé...; Cédric Leyrat; Fabrizio Capaccioni; Maria Cristina De...; Andrea Longobardo; Francesca Mancarella; Ernesto Palomba; Federico Tosi
• Keywords: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); 67P; 550; ddc:520; [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]; Kometen; Institut für Physik und Astronomie; FOS: Physical sciences; 523; 520 Astronomie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften; 01 natural sciences; 13. Climate action; Rosetta; 0103 physical sciences; Asteroiden; Churyumov-Gerasimenko; Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Ammonium salts on comet 67P The distribution of carbon and nitrogen in the Solar System is thought to reflect stability carbon- nitrogen-bearing molecules when exposed heat forming Sun. Comets have a low nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, which contrary expectations because they originate outer where species should be common. Poch et al. used laboratory experiments simulate cometary surfaces compared resulting spectra with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. They assigned previously unidentified infrared absorption band nitrogen-containing ammonium salts. could contain enough bring comet's ratio line Sun's. Science , this issue p. eaaw7462