Activity and composition of the hyperactive comet 46P/Wirtanen during its close approach in 2018

TL;DR

This study comprehensively analyzes the activity, composition, and physical properties of hyperactive comet 46P/Wirtanen during its close approach in 2018, providing insights into its origins and behavior.

Contribution

It offers detailed measurements of gas production rates, isotopic ratios, and nucleus rotation, enhancing understanding of hyperactive comet characteristics and their evolution near perihelion.

Findings

Constant and symmetric abundance ratios along the orbit.

Rotation period of approximately 9.18 hours.

Isotopic ratios indicating primitive composition.

Abstract

Hyperactive comets are a small group of comets whose activity are higher than expected. They seem to emit more water than they should based on the size of their nucleus and comet 46P/Wirtanen is one of them. Investigating its activity and composition evolution could provide clues about its origins and formation region in the Solar nebulae. Given the exceptional close approach in 2018 of comet 46P to the Earth, we aim to study the evolution of its activity and composition as a function of heliocentric distances before and after perihelion. We used both TRAPPIST telescopes to monitor the comet for almost a year with broad-band and narrow-band filters. We derived the production rates of five gaseous species, e.g. OH, NH, CN, C$_3$ and C$_2$, using a Haser model as well as the A($\theta$)f$\rho$, dust proxy parameter. The comet was also observed with two optical high resolution spectrographs UVES and ESPRESSO mounted on the 8-m ESO VLT to measure the isotopic ratios of C and N, the oxygen forbidden lines ratios and the NH$_2$ ortho-to-para ratios. We followed during almost a year the rise and decline of the production rates of different species as well as the dust activity of 46P on both pre- and post-perihelion. Relative abundances with respect to CN and OH along the orbit of the comet show constant and symmetric abundance ratios and a typical coma composition. We determined the rotation period of the nucleus using high cadence observations and long series of CN images on several nights, and we obtained a value of (9.18$\pm$0.05) hr at perihelion. Using high resolution spectra of 46P coma, we derived C and N isotopic ratios of 100$\pm$20 and 150$\pm$30 and a green-to-red forbidden oxygen [OI] lines ratio of 0.23$\pm$0.02. We measured a NH$_2$ ortho-to-para ratio of 3.31$\pm$0.03 and derived an ammonia ratio of 1.19$\pm$0.03 corresponding to a spin temperature of 27$\pm$1 K.