Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p21b1214d&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P21B-1214
Physics
[6008] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Composition, [6040] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Origin And Evolution, [6055] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Surfaces, [6224] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Kuiper Belt Objects
Scientific paper
Our knowledge of the surface compositions of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs is limited, particularly from the statistical standpoint, mostly due to the fact that most of the population bodies are too faint to be observed spectroscopically. Combined with dynamical information, composition plays a key role in the investigation of the origin and evolution of the outer parts of the solar system. A wealth of photometric data already exists, but results based on this information alone have been contradictory due to the fact that photometry is mostly limited to wavelengths shorter than 2.2 μm. However, plausible surface materials, particularly complex organic species and ices of light hydrocarbons, CO2, CO, and N2, have strong absorption bands beyond 2.5 μm. Spitzer IRAC data obviate this problem as they stretch to the near-infrared (3.6 and 4.5 μm) and in conjunction with shorter wavelength photometric data they sample a large spectral range. This combination of colors can constrain the composition of the surface of faint objects, providing greater leverage to the modeling effort than what done in previous studies. We present preliminary results of our analysis, which consists of modeling, by means of a radiative transfer code, the behavior of broad-band photometric colors. We produce a large number of “synthetic” colors based on calculated spectra of mixtures of various ices, organized and classified by means of a clustering technique. The synthetic colors will be available as a guide to understand the physical properties of the corresponding observed colors in the trans-Neptunian belt.
Cruikshank Dale P.
Dalle Ore Cristina Morea
Marzo G.
Pinilla-Alonso Noemí
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