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A&A 368, 689-699 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20000578
A fluorescence model of the C3 radical in comets
P. Rousselot1, C. Arpigny2, H. Rauer3, A. L. Cochran4, R. Gredel5, W. D. Cochran4, J. Manfroid2 and A. Fitzsimmons61 Observatoire de Besançon, BP 1615, 25010 Besançon Cedex, France
2 Université de Liège, Institut d'Astrophysique, 4000 Liège, Belgium
3 Inst. for Space Sensor Techn. and Planetary Expl., Rutherfordstrasse 2, Berlin, Germany
4 Univ. of Texas, Astronomy Dept., Austin, TX 78712-1083, USA
5 Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
6 Queen's University, Physics Dept. BT7 1NN, Belfast, UK
(Received 4 December 2000 / Accepted 22 December 2000 )
Abstract
Theoretical resonance fluorescence calculations are presented
of the triatomic C3 radical and are compared with observations
of the C3 emission in comets Hale-Bopp and de Vico.
A theoretical model of the C3 vibration-rotational structure
in the
electronic system
is introduced. The model takes into account the detailed
structure of the bending mode 
which is responsible
for the emission of the 4050 Ågroup. A
total of 1959 levels are considered, with 515 levels in the
ground state.
The main effort is to model high-resolution spectra of the 4050 Å
emission in comets C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp and 122P/1995 S1
de Vico. The agreement between observed and theoretical spectra
is good for a value of the dipole moment derivative of
Debye Å-1. The modeled C3
emission exhibits a pronounced Swings effect.
Key words: molecular data -- comets: general -- comets: individual: C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp -- comets: individual: 122 P/1995 S1 de Vico
Offprint request: P. Rousselot, philippe@obs-besancon.fr
© ESO 2001