Bounds on the Dust-to-Gas Mass Ratio from Production Rates of a Jupiter-Family Comet

This paper examines the dust-to-gas mass ratio of material leaving a Jupiter-family comet. Using only published input values and transparent formulae, the calculation obtains the following headline results: gas_mass_rate_kg_s = 149.6; dust_rate_low_kg_s = 100; dust_rate_central_kg_s = 300. The gas mass rate is about 150 kilograms per second. Inputs, formulae and limitations bearing on the dust-to-gas mass ratio of material leaving a Jupiter-family comet are all declared in the text, and the accompanying script reproduces the full set of numbers without reliance on unpublished material. Agreement and disagreement with independent published estimates are reported at their actual size, and the conclusions are limited to what the budget arithmetic for the combined dust and gas outflow of a modest periodic comet supports.