Axisymmetric dusty gas jet in the inner coma of a comet

Numerical solutions in the (r, theta, phi) polar coordinates are obtained for axisymmetric, time-dependent coupled hydrodynamic equations, in an investigation of the behavior of expanding pure and dusty jets in the inner coma of a water-dominated comet with 0.65-micron dust grains. The gas density peaks are noted to shift, in the case of a narrow (10-deg) dusty gas jet, from the central jet axis to the wings; the gas flows away from the cometary nucleus due to the steep density gradient in the theta direction, so that the dust particles are swept away from the central axis and concentrated more sharply at theta of about 35 deg than the gas particles. The radial gas and dust velocities are enhanced within the jet, by comparison with those in the background. 25 references