Linking studies of tiny meteoroids, zodiacal dust, cometary dust and circumstellar disks

Abstract

Tiny meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere and inducing meteor showers have long been thought to originate partly from cometary dust. Together with other dust particles, they form a huge cloud around the Sun, the zodiacal cloud. From our previous studies of the zodiacal light, as well as other independent methods (dynamical studies, infrared observations, data related to Earth's environment), it is now established that a significant fraction of dust particles entering the Earth's atmosphere comes from Jupiterfamily comets (JFCs).This paper relies on our understanding of key properties of the zodiacal cloud and of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, extensively studied by the Rosetta mission to a JFC. The interpretation, through numerical and experimental simulations of zodiacal light local polarimetric phase curves, has recently allowed us to establish that interplanetary dust is rich in absorbing organics and consists of fluffy particles. The ground-truth provided by Rosetta presently establishes that the cometary dust particles are rich in organic compounds and consist of quite fluffy and irregular aggregates. Our aims are as follows: (1) to make links, back in time, between peculiar micrometeorites, tiny meteoroids, interplanetary dust particles, cometary dust particles, and the early evolution of the Solar System, and (2) to show how detailed studies of such meteoroids and of cometary dust particles can improve the interpretation of observations of dust in protoplanetary and debris disks. Future modeling of dust in such disks should favor irregular porous particles instead of more conventional compact spherical particles.

Linear polarization as a tool to characterize interplanetary, cometary, and extrasolar dust particles

“…Besides, observations of debris disks have now shown that light scattering properties of dust in debris disks are far from those predicted by Mie theory and in favour of irregular dust particles, as pointed out essentially by phase functions analysis [19][20]. These results can greatly benefit from in situ and remote cometary observations and from advanced modelling of cometary dust, and at the same time provide examples of dust properties in other stellar systems to put our own Solar System into context [1].…”

“…The interpretation of polarimetric observations, at given phase angles and wavelengths, is a powerful tool to better understand the composition and physical properties of these irregular dust particles and their formation processes. It now provides clues to the origin of the Solar System and to some characteristics of dust in stellar systems, as discussed in [1].…”

Zodiacal light observations and its link with cosmic dust: a review

“…Continued monitoring of the zodiacal light over time will provide a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the interplanetary dust environment. Going one step further, the study of the similarities between the light scattering behavior of interplanetary dust particles, asteroids, cometary dust clouds and protoplanetary disks will help us understand planetary formation processes and the origin of the solid particles in these different environments (Levasseur-Regourd et al, 2020).…”

A 2022 τ-Herculid meteor cluster from an airborne experiment: automated detection, characterization, and consequences for meteoroids

“…Jenniskens et al (2008) reported a lack of fluffy meteoroid in an old Leonid trail, which these authors suggested is possibly explained by meteoroid self-disruption in the interplanetary space (although, other hypotheses might explain this observation). In order to explain the present quasi-steady-state of the level of sporadic meteors and of the amount of zodiacal dust, models must take the meteoroid life expectancy into account as well as the replenishment mechanism (Wiegert et al 2009;Levasseur-Regourd et al 2020). Such mechanisms include the gravitational perturbation of long-period comets, the structure and population of the Oort cloud, the role of giant planets (especially Jupiter) in removing or accreting small bodies in the inner Solar System, and so on.…”