Description
Professor Nicolas Thomas obtained his PhD in physics from the University of York, focusing on the studies of the Jovian satellite Io. He completed his post-doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. In 1992, he was appointed Deputy Project Scientist for the Giotto Extended Mission to comet Grigg-Skjellerup. From 1994 onwards, he has been a co-investigator in the OSIRIS experiment (the imaging system) for Rosetta. Since March 2003, he has been Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Bern, which is also the PI establishment for the ROSINA experiment (the mass spectrometer) on Rosetta. Part I: Introduction and Scope.- Part II: Fundamentals of Comets.- Orbital Mechanics.- Sublimation of Ices.- The Nucleus.- Dust Emission from the Surface.- Gas Emission.- Plasma.- Part III: Recent Developments.- Surface Appearances.- Structural Strength.- Surface Processes.- Surface Composition.- Activity and Inhomogeneity.- Thermal Properties.- Seasonal Evolution.- Rotational Evolution.- Fracturing and Layering.- Internal Structure.- Dust Emission and Large Particles.- Dust to Gas Ratio.- Chemistry of the Outflow.- Dust Chemistry.- Part IV: The Cometary Lifecycle: Birth, Life and Death.- Models of Cometary Accretion.- Importance of Cometary Reservoirs.- The Importance of Impact and Sticking.- Initial Entry to the Inner Solar System.- Dead Comets.- Part V: Prospects for the Future.- Main Belt Comets.- Revisiting JFCs.- Appendices.
