Simulations of ice chemistry in cometary nuclei

The first computational model of solid-phase chemistry in cometary nuclear ices is presented. An astrochemical kinetics model, MAGICKAL, is adapted to trace the chemical evolution in multiple layers of cometary ice, over a representative period of 5 Gyr. Physical conditions are chosen appropriate for "cold storage" of the cometary nucleus in the outer Solar System, prior to any active phase. The chemistry is simulated at a selection of static temperatures in the range 5 - 60 K, while the ice is exposed to the interstellar radiation field, inducing a photo-chemistry in the outer ice layers that produces significant formation of complex organic molecules. A treatment for the chemistry resulting from cosmic-ray bombardment of the ices is also introduced into the model, along with a new formulation for low-temperature photo-chemistry. Production of simple and complex molecules to depth on the order of 10 m or more is achieved, with local fractional abundances comparable to observed values in many cases. The production of substantial amounts of O₂ (and H₂O₂) is found, suggesting that long-term processing by high-energy cosmic rays of cometary ices in situ, over a period on the order of 1 Gyr, may be sufficient to explain the large observed abundances of O₂, if the overall loss of material from the comet is limited to a depth on the order of 10 m. Entry into the inner solar system could produce a further enhancement in the molecular content of the nuclear ices that may be quantifiable using this modeling approach.