Where are the Mini Kreutz-family Comets?
Quan-Zhi Ye, Man-To Hui, Rainer Kracht, Paul Wiegert

TL;DR
This study investigates the brightening behavior and diversity of mini Kreutz-family comets using ground-based and space-based observations, revealing different brightening patterns, possible outbursts, and compositional differences among these small comets.
Contribution
It provides the first comprehensive analysis of pre-perihelion light-curves of mini Kreutz comets, identifying distinct brightening behaviors and potential outbursts, and suggests a different activity driver than sodium.
Findings
Kreutz comets show diverse brightening behaviors, classifiable into two types.
C/SWAN experienced a rapid brightening or outburst between 1.06 and 0.52 AU.
Kreutz comets lose mass less efficiently than C/ISON and lack certain activity-driving species.
Abstract
The Kreutz family of sungrazing comets contains over 2~000 known members, many of which are believed to be under ~m sizes (\textit{mini~comets}) and have only been studied at small heliocentric distances () with space-based SOHO/STEREO spacecraft. To understand the brightening process of mini Kreutz comets, we conducted a survey using CFHT/MegaCam at moderate guided by SOHO/STEREO observations. We identify two comets that should be in our search area but are not detected, indicating that the comets have either followed a steeper brightening rate within the previously-reported rapid brighten stage (the \textit{brightening~burst}), or the brightening burst starts earlier than expected. We present a composite analysis of pre-perihelion light-curves of five Kreutz comets that covered to ~AU. We observe a significant diversity in the…
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