Assess sufficiency of low-temperature liquid water to drive exothermic chemistry in 3I/ATLAS

Determine whether micro-quantities of liquid water present near the surface of 3I/ATLAS at temperatures well below the triple point (achievable at ~2.5 au) are sufficient to aid exothermic chemical reactions in the subsurface that could enhance gas release and dust entrainment.

Background

Based on laboratory and theoretical results, the authors suggest that limited amounts of liquid water can exist at ~200 K and could potentially interact with reactive metal grains. They hypothesize that such interactions might contribute to the energy budget and activity via exothermic reactions, but explicitly acknowledge uncertainty about sufficiency.

Resolving this would clarify the role of cryovolcanic and catalytic processes (e.g., Fischer–Tropsch-type reactions) in driving the unusual coma chemistry and activity observed in 3I/ATLAS.