2002/08/23 by Anita L. Cochran · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/343763
published as Astrophys.J. 576 (2002) L165-L168 · Accepted for publication in ApJ (Letters) - 10 Sept 2002
arxiv created 2002/08/23 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
We report low- and high-resolution spectra of comet C/2002 C1 (Ikeya-Zhang) from McDonald Observatory. The comet had a well-developed ion tail including CO+, CO2+, CH+, and H2O+. We used our high-resolution spectra to search for N2+. None was detected and we placed upper limits on N2+/CO+ of 5.4 times 10-4. N2+ was detected in the low-resolution spectra but we show that this emission was probably telluric in origin (if cometary, we derive N2+/CO+ = 5.5 times 10-3, still very low). We discuss the implications for the conditions in the early solar nebula of the non-detection of N2+. These depend on whether the H2O ice was deposited in the amorphous or crystalline form. If H2O was deposited in its crystalline form, the detection of CO+ but not N2+ has implications for H2O/H2 in the early solar nebula.