Written by a leading expert on comets, this textbook is divided into seven main elements with a view to allowing advanced students to appreciate the interconnections between the different elements. The author opens with a brief introductory segment on the motivation for studying comets and the overall scope of the book. The first chapter describes fundamental aspects most usually addressed by ground-based observation. The author then looks at the basic physical phenomena in four separate chapters addressing the nucleus, the emitted gas, the emitted dust, and the solar wind interaction. Each chapter introduces the basic physics and chemistry but then new specific measurements by Rosetta instruments at comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko are brought in. A concerted effort has been made to distinguish between established fact and conjecture. Deviations and inconsistencies are brought out and their significance explained. Links to previous observations of comets Tempel 1, Wild 2, Hartley 2, Halley and others are made. The author then closes with three smaller chapters on related objects, the loss of comets, and prospects for future exploration.

This textbook includes over 275 graphics and figures most of which are original. Thorough explanations and derivations are included throughout the chapters. The text is therefore designed to support MSc. students and new PhD students in the field wanting to gain a solid overview of the state-of-the-art.

Describes the fundamental physics necessary to understand the nature of comets including orbital characteristics, nucleus surface processes, dusty-gas dynamics, the solar wind interaction, and their lifecycle Provides an up-to-date general introduction to the subject incorporating new knowledge gained from Rosetta observations placed in a more general context to aid in overall understanding Special emphasis is placed on the nuclei and innermost comae Illustrated with over 300 diagrams, images, and tables

Autorentext

Professor Nicolas Thomas obtained his PhD in physics from the University of York, focusing on the studies of the Jovian satellite Io. He completed his post-doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. In 1992, he was appointed Deputy Project Scientist for the Giotto Extended Mission to comet Grigg-Skjellerup. From 1994 onwards, he has been a co-investigator in the OSIRIS experiment (the imaging system) for Rosetta. Since March 2003, he has been Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Bern, which is also the PI establishment for the ROSINA experiment (the mass spectrometer) on Rosetta.

Inhalt

1. Light Curves, Orbits, and Reservoirs.- 2. The Nucleus.- 3. Gas Emissions Near the Nucleus.- 4. Dust Emission from the Surface.- 5. The Plasma Environment.- 6. Comet-Like Activity in Related Objects.- 7. The Loss of Comets.- 8. Future Investigations of Comets.- 9. Final Remarks.