Aggregate model of cometary dust: an application to comet Levy 1990XX.

In the present work, the light-scattering properties of comet Levy 1990XX are studied through simulations using Ballistic Particle-Cluster Aggregation (BPCA) or Ballistic Cluster–Cluster Aggregation (BCCA) aggregates of up to 128 spherical monomers of different compositions (e.g. silicates, carbonaceous materials etc.) and the best-fitting theoretical polarization curve is generated using theSuperposition T-matrix code. The best-fitting refractive indices coming out from the present analysis show silicate behaviour when monomer radius is and provide excellent results on the maximum and negative degrees of linear polarization at a single wavelength for BCCA aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]