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Hydrodynamic modelling of cometary particles captured in aerogel and the Earth's atmosphere
Author(s) -
Coulson S. G.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2009.tb01183.x
Subject(s) - aerogel , hypervelocity , meteoroid , atmosphere (unit) , astrobiology , atmospheric entry , particle (ecology) , earth (classical element) , physics , mechanics , materials science , geology , nanotechnology , astronomy , meteorology , oceanography
— The capture of cometary fragments in aerogel by the Stardust mission is analogous to the process of meteoroid deceleration in the Earth's atmosphere. We present a simplified model for the formation of the tracks formed in aerogel by hypervelocity impacts of cometary material. Using a hydrodynamic approach to model this class of problem overcomes some of the errors associated with previous semi‐analytical models for track formation (Coulson 2009). The hydrodynamic models developed allow the particle velocity, temperature and pressure to be calculated as a function of track length within aerogel. A qualative description of how this model can be extended to the formation of bulbous cavities using the Chapman‐Jouquet theory is provided.