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Science 10 May 2002:
Vol. 296. no. 5570, pp. 1042 - 1045
DOI: 10.1126/science.1070001
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Review
X-ray Emission from Comets
T. E. Cravens
The discovery of x-ray emission from comet Hyakutake was
surprising given that comets are known to be cold. Observations by x-ray satellites such as the Röntgen Satellite (ROSAT)
indicate that x-rays are produced by almost all comets. Theoretical and observational work has demonstrated that charge-exchange collisions of
highly charged solar wind ions with cometary neutral species can
explain this emission. X-ray observations of comets and other solar
system objects may be used to determine the structure and dynamics of
the solar wind.
Supported by NASA Planetary Atmospheres grant NAG5-11038 and NSF
grant ATM-9815574.
{foot}University
of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Malott Hall, Lawrence,
KS 66045, USA. E-mail: cravens{at}ukans.edu
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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
- Laboratory Simulation of Charge Exchange-Produced X-ray Emission from Comets.
- P. Beiersdorfer, K. R. Boyce, G. V. Brown, H. Chen, S. M. Kahn, R. L. Kelley, M. May, R. E. Olson, F. S. Porter, C. K. Stahle, et al. (2003)
Science
300, 1558-1559
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