Deuterium in comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp): detection of DCN

Science. 1998 Mar 13;279(5357):1707-10. doi: 10.1126/science.279.5357.1707.

Abstract

Deuterated hydrogen cyanide (DCN) was detected in a comet, C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), with the use of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The inferred deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratio in hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is (D/H)HCN = (2.3 +/- 0.4) x 10(-3). This ratio is higher than the D/H ratio found in cometary water and supports the interstellar origin of cometary ices. The observed values of D/H in water and HCN imply a kinetic temperature >/=30 +/- 10 K in the fragment of interstellar cloud that formed the solar system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Deuterium / analysis*
  • Hydrogen Cyanide / analysis*
  • Ice
  • Meteoroids*
  • Temperature
  • Water

Substances

  • Ice
  • Water
  • Hydrogen Cyanide
  • Deuterium