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arXiv · 1604.04444

Brightness variation distributions among main belt asteroids from sparse light curve sampling with Pan-STARRS 1

A. McNeill·A. Fitzsimmons·R. Jedicke·R. Wainscoat·L. Denneau·P. Veres·E. Magnier·K. C. Chambers·N. Kaiser·C. Waters
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Abstract

The rotational state of asteroids is controlled by various physical mechanisms including collisions, internal damping and the Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect. We have analysed the changes in magnitude between consecutive detections of approximately 60,000 asteroids measured by the PanSTARRS 1 survey during its first 18 months of operations. We have attempted to explain the derived brightness changes physically and through the application of a simple model. We have found a tendency toward smaller magnitude variations with decreasing diameter for objects of 1 < D < 8 km. Assuming the shape distribution of objects in this size range to be independent of size and composition our model suggests a population with average axial ratios 1 : 0.85 \pm 0.13 : 0.71 \pm 0.13, with larger objects more likely to have spin axes perpendicular to the orbital plane.

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A. McNeill, A. Fitzsimmons, R. Jedicke, R. Wainscoat, L. Denneau, P. Veres, E. Magnier, K. C. Chambers, N. Kaiser, C. Waters. 2016-04-15. Brightness variation distributions among main belt asteroids from sparse light curve sampling with Pan-STARRS 1. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstw847

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