Physics of comets / K.S. Krishna Swamy.

This revised edition places a unique emphasis on all the new results from ground-based, satellites and space missions - detection of molecule H2 and prompt emission lines of OH for the first time; discovery of X-rays in comets; observed diversity in chemical composition among comets; the puzzle of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Krishna Swamy, K. S.
Corporate Author: World Scientific (Firm)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Singapore ; Hackensack, N.J. : World Scientific Pub. Co., ©2010.
Edition:3rd ed.
Series:World Scientific series in astronomy and astrophysics ; v. 12.
Subjects:
Online Access:Click for online access
Table of Contents:
  • 1. General introduction. 1.1. Historical perspective. 1.2. Discovery. 1.3. Appearance. 1.4. Statistics. 1.5. Importance. 1.6. Brightness. 1.7. Main characteristics. 1.8. Spacecraft encounters with comets. 1.9. An overall view
  • 2. Dynamics. 2.1. Orbital elements. 2.2. Orbit in space
  • 3. Physical aspects. 3.1. Black body radiation. 3.2. Perfect gas law. 3.3. Dissociative equilibrium. 3.4. Doppler shift. 3.5. Spectroscopy. 3.6. Isotopic effect. 3.7. Franck-Condon factors. 3.8. Intensity of emitted lines. 3.9. Boltzmann distribution. 3.10. [symbol]-doubling. 3.11. Photochemistry of water. 3.12. Silicate. 3.13. Annealing. 3.14. Carbon. 3.15. Solar radiation. 3.16. Solar wind
  • 4. Spectra. 4.1. Main characteristics. 4.2. Forbidden transitions. 4.3. Line-to-continuum ratio
  • 5. Spectra of coma. 5.1. Fluorescence process. 5.2. Excitation temperature. 5.3. Abundances of heavy elements. 5.4. Isotopic abundances. 5.5. Summary
  • 6. Gas production rates in coma. 6.1. Theoretical models. 6.2. Results. 6.3. Analysis of hydrogen observations. 6.4. Related studies. 6.5. Parent molecules. 6.6. Chemical diversity. 6.7. Summary
  • 7. Dust tails. 7.1. Dynamics. 7.2. Anti-tail. 7.3. Dust trails. 7.4. Sodium gas tails. 7.5. Dust features
  • 8. Light scattering theory. 8.1. Mie scattering theory. 8.2. Approximate expressions. 8.3. Computation of cross sections. 8.4. Results. 8.5. Particles of other types. 8.6. Optical constants
  • 9. The nature of dust particles. 9.1. Visible continuum. 9.2. Polarization. 9.3. Grain sizes. 9.4. Infrared measurements. 9.5. Spectral feature. 9.6. Properties derived from direct measurements. 9.7. Radiation pressure effects. 9.8. Summary
  • 10. Ion tails. 10.1. Evidence for the solar wind. 10.2. Dynamical aberration. 10.3. Theoretical considerations. 10.4. Instabilities and waves. 10.5. Acceleration of cometary ions. 10.6. Large scale structures. 10.7. X-rays. 10.8. Summary
  • 11. Nucleus. 11.1. Morphology. 11.2. Theory of vapourization. 11.3. Outbursts. 11.4. Albedo and radius. 11.5. Mass, density and surface gravity. 11.6. Rotation. 11.7. Nucleus composition. 11.8. Mass loss. 11.9. Structure. 11.10. Non-gravitational forces. 11.11. Ortho to para ratio of molecules. 11.12. Binary systems. 11.13. Summary
  • 12. Origin. 12.1. Evidence for the oort cloud. 12.2. Evolution and properties of oort cloud. 12.3. Origin of the oort cloud. 12.4. Taxonomy. 12.5. Summary
  • 13. Relation to other solar system studies. 13.1. Asteroids. 13.2. Meteorites. 13.3. Meteor streams. 13.4. Particles collected at high altitudes. 13.5. Primordial material. 13.6. Chemical evolution. 13.7. Terrestrial water. 13.8. Impact of outside bodies. 13.9. Overview
  • 14. Problems and prospects. 14.1. Epilogue. 14.2. Future studies.