Compacted loose particles from numerical simulations compared to Rosetta collected particles
Résumé
The Rosetta space mission included three main instruments for solid dust particle analysis. The combined microscope and mass spectrometer COSIMA (Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser) [1], the atomic force microscope MIDAS (Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System) [2], and the impact detector GIADA (Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator) [3]. These three instruments provide complementary insights into dust particles properties over a wide range of sizes/masses (10nm to 1mm). GIADA and MIDAS observed a major contribution from compact dust particles together with a population of porous particles with a low fractal dimension (Df~1,7 for MIDAS [4]) [5, 6]. The fractal dust component of the nucleus and its properties give constraints on the formation of comets in the early solar system [5].In this work, we analyseresults from a simple numerical model of dust aggregates compactionto assess the initial physical properties of the dust populations.