Multiple Asteroid Systems: Search Programs and Studies with AO

Details Multiple Asteroid Systems: Search Programs and Studies with AO Multiple Asteroid Systems: Search Programs and Studies with AO

May 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21421903m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #214, #219.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.726

Physics

Optics

Scientific paper

The discovery of Dactyl, Ida's companion, in 1993 is the starting point of a new field of investigation related to the study of small solar system bodies (SSSBs). Today more than 165 multiple SSSB systems are known in all populations. Since 2003, we have been conducting a study of this interesting and diverse group using 8-10m class ground-based telescopes equipped with Adaptive Optics systems (Keck II, VLT/Yepun and Gemini North) by direct imaging and also comparative spectroscopy. I will summarize the latest insights into a few selected multiple systems located in the main-belt (22 Kalliope, 121 Hermione, 216 Kleopatra, etc) describing how we determined the sizes and shapes of their components, and their orbital parameters from AO data. Their bulk densities were estimated accurately combining the AO study with other techniques such as thermal infrared spectroscopy with Spitzer/IRS, mutual events and stellar occultations observed using small telescopes. This study shows that these binary asteroids have a significant macroporosity in their interior ( 30-50%) and their mean density is related to their taxonomic classes ( 0.8-1.5 g/cm3 for C-type, 2.5-3.5 g/cc for M-type and 2.2 g/cc for S-type). It confirms that the taxonomic class of an asteroid indicates a different composition in its interior, and that these multiple main-belt asteroids have a similar scenario of formation, most likely by catastrophic disruption.
This research was supported by NASA PAST NNX07AP70G and CfAO's cooperative agreement AST-9876783.

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