The origin of the CN radical in comets: A review from observations and models

International audienceThe origin of CN radicals in comets is not completely understood so far. We present a study of CN and HCN production rates and CN Haser scale lengths showing that: (1) at heliocentric distances larger than 3 AU, CN radicals could be entirely produced by HCN photolysis; (2) closer to the Sun, for a fraction of comets CN production rates are higher than HCN ones whereas (3) in the others, CN distribution cannot be explained by the HCN photolysis although CN and HCN production rates seem to be similar. Thus, when the comets are closer than 3 AU to the Sun, an additional process to the HCN photolysis seems to be required to explain the CN density in some comets. The photolysis of HC 3N or C 2N 2 could explain the CN origin. But the HC 3N production rate is probably too low to reproduce CN density profile, even if uncertainties on its photolysis leave the place for all possible conclusions. The presence of C 2N 2 in comets is a reliable hypothesis to explain the CN origin; thus, its detection is a challenging issue. Since C 2N 2 is very difficult to detect from ground-based observations, only in situ measurements or space observations could determine the contribution of this compound in the CN origin. Another hypothesis is a direct production of CN radicals by the photo- or thermal degradation of complex refractory organic compounds present on cometary grains. This process could explain the spatial profile of CN inside jets and the discrepancy noted in the isotopic ratio 14N/ 15N between CN and HCN. Laboratory studies of the thermal and UV-induced degradation of solid nitrogenated compounds are required to model and validate this hypothesis