![]() ![]() A major goal of our project is to determine how to use the emission from electron collisions to study gases in comets and the atmospheres of other small bodies, such as Europa. We are developing an experimental set up at Auburn to investigate electron impact dissociation processes, and we collaborate with the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia) to characterize the light emitted when these reactions occur. Rosetta observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko revealed that under certain conditions, electron impact reactions can be the most important reactions in the coma. We study the underlying charge exchange reactions in the lab and use telescopes like XMM-Newton, NICER on the ISS, and Chandra to remotely study the plasma environments of comets. Planets and comets emit X-rays through charge exchange between the solar wind and the neutral molecules in their atmospheres. The gas around comets is altered by sun light, by the interaction with the solar wind, and by physical and chemical reactions.
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