Single-dish observations and non-LTE analysis of CH3OH, HCN, and CO line emission in the Oort cloud comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)

Abstract

We present pre-perihelion observations of methanol, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide in the Oort cloud comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS), performed with the APEX 12-m and Onsala 20-m telescopes from April to July 2022. As the comets heliocentric distance decreased from 3.4 to 2.7 AU, CH3OH line intensities increased substantially (by factors of 1.1-4.0), with the most pronounced enhancement in lines with the upper-level energies Eu > 40K. In contrast, the brightness of the CO and HCN lines remained constant. We estimate the best-fit gas kinetic temperatures Tgas > 100 K and water production rate of Q(H2O)=(3-10)*10(28) 1/s. The derived methanol-to-water abundance ratio approx. 0.01-0.04, depending on the observed period. Our results demonstrate that non-LTE effects are dominant in the coma and must be accounted for to accurately derive molecular production rates. We also report weak non-thermal excitation, including potential maser activity in the CH3OH 8(0)-7(1) line.