Numerical Simulation of the Long-Term Thermal Evolution of the Nuclei of Short-Period Comets Using the Nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko as an Example

Abstract

Using numerical models, we have studied what depth of the outer layer the comet nuclei are degassed to when they are in orbits whose perihelion is close to the Sun for tens of years. The problem is topical, because it helps to understand how much the experimentally obtained results on the composition of comet comas depend on how long the comet is in its present-day orbit and how adequately the data obtained reflect the composition of comet nuclei as a whole. The proposed approach, which is demonstrated using comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as an example, is based on a 3D comet nucleus surface relief model and takes into account not only its orbital motion, but also its diurnal rotation. The propagation of heat in the nucleus subsurface layers is described by a 1D heat conduction equation for a porous rock-ice composition of matter. Based on this approach, we have derived the temperature distributions in the subsurface layers for several surface patches located in the Ma’at region in 20 revolutions around the Sun, ~130 years.