A post-perihelion constraint on the CO$_{2}$/H$_{2}$O ratio of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS from [O I] forbidden lines

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution spectroscopy of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to measure oxygen forbidden lines, estimating its CO₂/H₂O ratio and revealing a significant decrease across perihelion, with implications for comet composition evolution.

Contribution

First measurement of the CO₂/H₂O ratio in 3I/ATLAS using [O I] forbidden lines, showing a decrease across perihelion and providing insights into interstellar comet composition.

Findings

The [O I] line ratio indicates optically thin conditions.

The CO₂/H₂O ratio in 3I/ATLAS is lower than infrared estimates pre-perihelion.

The ratio decreased significantly across perihelion.

Abstract

We present high-resolution optical spectroscopy of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph mounted on the Subaru Telescope on UT 2026 January 7, when the comet was on its outbound trajectory at a heliocentric distance of $r_{\mathrm{h}} = 2.87$ au. The spectra cover the forbidden atomic oxygen lines, [O~I], at 557.7, 630.0, and 636.4 nm. The [O~I] red-doublet intensity ratio $I_{630.0}/I_{636.4} = 2.91 \pm 0.21$ matches the optically thin branching ratio ($\sim$3; \citealt{StoreyZeippen2000}), indicating that optical-depth effects are small and that our relative flux calibration is reliable. We measure a green-to-red [O~I] intensity ratio of $G/R = I_{557.7}/(I_{630.0} + I_{636.4}) = 0.339 \pm 0.027$. This value is higher than those of most Solar System comets at similar heliocentric distances, but comparable to that of the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. From the measured $G/R$ ratio in 3I/ATLAS, we estimate the CO$_2$/H$_2$O abundance ratio under the assumption that H$_2$O and CO$_2$ are the dominant parents of O($^1$S) and O($^1$D), with other oxygen-bearing species expected to have a smaller influence under typical conditions (e.g., \citealt{FestouFeldman1981}). The derived ratio is significantly lower than the extremely CO$_2$-rich composition reported from infrared observations on the inbound trajectory at $r_{\mathrm{h}} \sim 3.3$ au, yet higher than typical values measured for comets in the Solar System. Together with published pre- and post-perihelion measurements, our result indicates that the CO$_2$/H$_2$O ratio decreased substantially across perihelion.