Radiation modification of cometary materials: Laboratory simulations

Abstract

Cosmic rays and solar photons can modify precometary materials, comet surfaces, and ejected cometary materials. This can be of importance for describing the primordial crust of a comet, the composition of the ejected dust, and the degradation of the dust in the solar environment. The laboratory results of interest to radiation modification of materials, the effects of radiation on cometary materials and the relevance of these materials for comet surface analysis, are described.