The source of energy of the comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 outburst activity: the test of the summary

Abstract

The comet 29P/Schwassmann‐Wachmann 1 is an exceptional comet as far as cometary outbursts are concerned. Despite its large distance from the Sun (about 6 au), it shows quasi‐regular outburst activity, usually once or twice a year. Up to now there has not been a generally accepted model that explains this phenomenon. In the first part of this paper, the most well‐known hypotheses that attempt to explain the outburst activity of this comet are presented and critically analysed. The main aim of this paper is to present a model for the outburst activity of this comet. The model is based on the global analysis of the internal structure and physical and chemical processes that take place in the cometary nucleus. Numerical calculations were carried out for reasonable assumed values of a large range of cometary characteristics. The obtained results are consistent with observational data.

Fluidization and multiphase transport of particulate cometary material as an explanation of the smooth terrains and repetitive outbursts on 9P/Tempel 1

“…Gronkowski (2005) has noted that grains of amorphous water ice have slightly different material density to those of the cubic crystalline form and that this ". .…”

A model of cometary outbursts based on the idea of fragmentation of ice grains

“…The total number of daughter particles is denoted as N d . It should be emphasized that the value of N gr ( t 1 ) was calculated according to the laws of mass and energy conservation adopted for the sublimation of a cometary nucleus in a similar way to the papers of Gronkowski (2005a, 2007). We assume that the newly created daughter particles are characterized by the distribution function g ( r ) in relation to their radii r .…”

“…Tables 2 and 3 present examples of the results of calculations of the change in brightness of the comet Δ m . In this Letter the numerical values of cometary parameters are the same as in the papers by Gronkowski (2005a,b). In other cases the values of these characteristics are specified in the tables.…”

“…The description of these phenomena is widely presented in the literature. For example, physical characteristics and the most frequently suggested hypotheses which try to explain the origin of these indications of cometary activity are presented in Richter (1954), Vsekhsviatskii (1966), Krésak (1974), Hughes (1991), Andrienko & Vashchenko (1981), Cochran, Cochran & Barker (1982), Cabot, Enzian & Klinger (1996), Gronkowski (2005a) and Filonenko & Churyumov (2006). Given the extensive literature, we here only briefly remind the reader of the following.…”

Large cometary grains - their destruction and changes in the luminosity of comets

“…Descriptions of cometary outbursts are widely presented in the literature (see e.g. Hughes 1990, 1991; Gronkowski 2005). Therefore, we only briefly remind the reader that an outburst of a comet is a rapid increase in the comet brightness, by 2–5 mag on average.…”