Dust release and tensile strength of the non-volatile layer of cometary nuclei

We developed a thermophysical model for cometary nuclei, which is based upon the assumption that comets form by the gravitational instability of an ensemble of dust and ice aggregates. Under this condition, the tensile strength of the ice-free outer layers of a cometary nucleus can be calculated, using the dust–aggregate collision and adhesion model of Weidling et al. (Weidling, R. et al. [2012]. Icarus, 218, 688-700). Based on available laboratory data on the gas permeability and thermal conductivity of ice-free dust layers, we derived the temperature and pressure at the dust–ice interface for pure water and pure carbon dioxide ice. Comparison of the vapor pressure below the dust crust with its tensile strength allows the prediction of dust release from cometary surfaces. Our model predicts dust activity for pure CO2 ice and for heliocentric distances of ≲ 3 AU, whereas pure H2O ice cannot explain the dust emission.