The detection of solid phosphorus and fluorine in the dust from the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
: Gardner Esko, Lehto Harry J., Lehto Kirsi, Fray Nicolas, Bardyn Anaïs, Lönnberg Tuomas, Merouane Sihane, Isnard Robin, Cottin Hervé, Hilchenbach Martin; The Cosima Team
Publisher: Oxford University Press
: 2020
: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
: 499
: 2
: 1870
: 1873
: 4
: 0035-8711
: 1365-2966
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa2950
: https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.13379
Here, we report the detection of phosphorus and fluorine in solid
particles collected from the inner coma of comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko measured with the COmetary Secondary Ion Mass
Analyser (COSIMA) instrument on-board the Rosetta spacecraft, only a few
kilometers away from the comet nucleus. We have detected
phosphorus-containing minerals from the presented COSIMA mass spectra,
and can rule out e.g. apatite minerals as the source of phosphorus. This
result completes the detection of life-necessary CHNOPS-elements in
solid cometary matter, indicating cometary delivery as a potential
source of these elements to the young Earth. Fluorine was also detected
with CF+ secondary ions originating from the cometary dust.
