First in-situ detection of the cometary ammonium ion NH$_4^{+}$ (protonated ammonia NH 3 ) in the coma of 67P/C-G near perihelion | Zendy

Arnaud Beth | Zendy; K. Altwegg | Zendy; H. Balsiger | Zendy; J. J. Berthelier | Zendy; Ursina Calmonte | Zendy; M. R. Combi | Zendy; Johan De Keyser | Zendy; Frederik Dhooghe | Zendy; Björn Fiethe | Zendy; S. A. Fuselier | Zendy; M. Galand | Zendy; S. Gasc | Zendy; T. I. Gombosi | Zendy; K. C. Hansen | Zendy; M. Hässig | Zendy; K. L. Héritier | Zendy; E. Kopp | Zendy; L. Le Roy | Zendy; K. E. Mandt | Zendy; Solène Peroy | Zendy; M. Rubı́n | Zendy; T. Sémon | Zendy; Chia-Yu Tzou | Zendy; E. Vigren | Zendy

Open Access

First in-situ detection of the cometary ammonium ion NH$_4^{+}$ (protonated ammonia NH ₃ ) in the coma of 67P/C-G near perihelion

Author(s) -

Arnaud Beth,

K. Altwegg,

H. Balsiger,

J. J. Berthelier,

Ursina Calmonte,

M. R. Combi,

Johan De Keyser,

Frederik Dhooghe,

Björn Fiethe,

S. A. Fuselier,

M. Galand,

S. Gasc,

T. I. Gombosi,

K. C. Hansen,

M. Hässig,

K. L. Héritier,

E. Kopp,

L. Le Roy,

K. E. Mandt,

Solène Peroy,

M. Rubı́n,

T. Sémon,

Chia-Yu Tzou,

E. Vigren

Publication year - 2017

Publication title -

monthly notices of the royal astronomical society

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058

H-Index - 383

eISSN - 1365-8711

pISSN - 0035-8711

DOI - 10.1093/mnras/stw3370

Subject(s) - physics , ion , coma (optics) , context (archaeology) , mass spectrometry , ammonium , spectrometer , comet , astrophysics , optics , chemistry , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , paleontology , biology

In this paper, we report the first in situ detection of the ammonium ion NH4+ at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) in a cometary coma, using the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA)/Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS). Unlike neutral and ion spectrometers onboard previous cometary missions, the ROSINA/DFMS spectrometer, when operated in ion mode, offers the capability to distinguish NH4+ from H2O+ in a cometary coma. We present here the ion data analysis of mass-to-charge ratios 18 and 19 at high spectral resolution and compare the results with an ionospheric model to put these results into context. The model confirms that the ammonium ion NH4+ is one of the most abundant ion species, as predicted, in the coma near perihelion

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