Modification of icy planetesimals by early thermal evolution and collisions: Constraints for formation time and initial size of comets and small KBOs

TL;DR

This study uses numerical models to explore how early thermal processes and collisions affected icy planetesimals, influencing the retention of volatile ices and constraining their formation time and initial size.

Contribution

It combines 2D thermal evolution and 3D collision models to assess volatile retention, providing new insights into the formation and evolution of comets and Kuiper belt objects.

Findings

Thermal evolution controls volatile ice retention in large remnants.

Impact heating dominates in unbound collision fragments.

Results applied to specific comets and KBOs like Hale-Bopp and Arrokoth.

Abstract

Comets and small Kuiper belt objects are considered to be among the most primitive objects in the solar system as comets like C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp are rich in highly volatile ices like CO. It has been suggested that early in the solar system evolution the precursors of both groups, the so-called icy planetesimals, were modified by both short-lived radiogenic heating and collisional heating. Here we employ 2D finite-difference numerical models to study the internal thermal evolution of these objects, where we vary formation time, radius and rock-to-ice mass fraction. Additionally we perform 3D SPH collision models with different impact parameters, thus considering both cratering and catastrophic disruption events. Combining the results of both numerical models we estimate under which conditions highly volatile ices like CO, CO2 and NH3 can be retained inside present-day comets and Kuiper belt objects. Our results indicate that for present-day objects derived from the largest post-collision remnant the internal thermal evolution controls the amount of remaining highly volatile ices, while for the objects formed from unbound post-collision material the impact heating is dominant. Finally we apply our results to present-day comets and Kuiper belt objects like 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp and (486958) Arrokoth.