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The size distribution of Jupiter Family comet nuclei

Snodgrass, C., Fitzsimmons, A., Lowry, S.C., Weissman, P. (2011) The size distribution of Jupiter Family comet nuclei. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 414 (1). pp. 458-469. ISSN 1365-2966. E-ISSN 1365-2966. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18406.x) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:52285)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18406.x

Abstract

We present an updated cumulative size distribution (CSD) for Jupiter Family comet (JFC) nuclei, including a rigorous assessment of the uncertainty on the slope of the CSD. The CSD is expressed as a power law, N(>rN) ?r-q N, where rN is the radius of the nuclei and q is the slope. We include a large number of optical observations published by us and others since the comprehensive review in the Comets II book, and make use of an improved fitting method. We assess the uncertainty on the CSD due to all of the unknowns and uncertainties involved (photometric uncertainty, assumed phase function, albedo and shape of the nucleus) by means of Monte Carlo simulations. In order to do this we also briefly review the current measurements of these parameters for JFCs. Our final CSD has a slope q= 1.92 ± 0.20 for nuclei with radius rN? 1.25 km. © 2011 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2011 RAS.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18406.x
Additional information: Unmapped bibliographic data: LA - English [Field not mapped to EPrints] J2 - Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. [Field not mapped to EPrints] AD - Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Max-Planck-Str. 2, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany [Field not mapped to EPrints] AD - European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile [Field not mapped to EPrints] AD - Astrophysics Research Centre, Queen's University, Belfast, United Kingdom [Field not mapped to EPrints] AD - Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, The University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom [Field not mapped to EPrints] AD - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States [Field not mapped to EPrints] DB - Scopus [Field not mapped to EPrints]
Uncontrolled keywords: Comets: general, Methods: numerical
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Depositing User: Stephen Lowry
Date Deposited: 08 Dec 2015 22:36 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:21 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/52285 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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