| Issue |
A&A
Volume 459, Number 1, November III 2006
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 271 - 273 | |
| Section | Planets and planetary systems | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20053291 | |
| Published online | 12 September 2006 | |
Polarimetric studies of comet Levy 1990 XX
1
Department of Physics, Karimganj College, Karimganj 788710, Assam, India e-mail: hs_das@rediffmail.com
2
Department of Physics, Assam University, Silchar 788011, Assam, India e-mail: asokesen@sancharnet.in
Received:
23
April
2005
Accepted:
11
August
2006
The spherical and non-spherical dust-grain characteristics of
comet Levy 1990 XX
are studied in this paper. Using T-matrix theory, a good theoretical fit to
the polarisation data observed by Chernova and co-workers for comet
Levy 1990 XX is
reported in the present work. The calculated degree of linear polarisation (p)
as a function of observed
scattering angle 
produced by prolate spheroidal
crystalline olivine particles with effective radius (
m),
effective variance (
), and aspect ratio
(
)
are compatible with the comet's observed polarisation at
m. After comparing the
above result with the Mie
theory result (
m, 
), it is found that
prolate grains give the
better fit to the observed polarisation data.
Also, the negative polarisation behaviour of comet
Levy 1990 XX
is discussed.
Key words: comets: general / dust, extinction / scattering / polarization
© ESO, 2006
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