809 research outputs found
Spectroscopic survey of M--type asteroids
M-type asteroids, as defined in the Tholen taxonomy (Tholen, 1984), are
medium albedo bodies supposed to have a metallic composition and to be the
progenitors both of differentiated iron-nickel meteorites and enstatite
chondrites. We carried out a spectroscopic survey in the visible and near
infrared wavelength range (0.4-2.5 micron) of 30 asteroids chosen from the
population of asteroids initially classified as Tholen M -types, aiming to
investigate their surface composition. The data were obtained during several
observing runs during the years 2004-2007 at the TNG, NTT, and IRTF telescopes.
We computed the spectral slopes in several wavelength ranges for each observed
asteroid, and we searched for diagnostic spectral features. We confirm a large
variety of spectral behaviors for these objects as their spectra are extended
into the near-infrared, including the identification of weak absorption bands,
mainly of the 0.9 micron band tentatively attributed to orthopyroxene, and of
the 0.43 micron band that may be associated to chlorites and Mg-rich
serpentines or pyroxene minerals such us pigeonite or augite. A comparison with
previously published data indicates that the surfaces of several asteroids
belonging to the M-class may vary significantly. We attempt to constrain the
asteroid surface compositions of our sample by looking for meteorite spectral
analogues in the RELAB database and by modelling with geographical mixtures of
selected meteorites/minerals. We confirm that iron meteorites, pallasites, and
enstatite chondrites are the best matches to most objects in our sample, as
suggested for M-type asteroids. The presence of subtle absorption features on
several asteroids confirms that not all objects defined by the Tholen M-class
have a pure metallic composition.Comment: 10 figures, 6 tables; Icarus, in pres
Visible spectroscopy of the new ESO Large Program on trans-Neptunian objects and Centaurs: final results
A second large programme (LP) for the physical studies of TNOs and Centaurs,
started at ESO Cerro Paranal on October 2006 to obtain high-quality data, has
recently been concluded. In this paper we present the spectra of these pristine
bodies obtained in the visible range during the last two semesters of the LP.
We investigate the spectral behaviour of the TNOs and Centaurs observed, and we
analyse the spectral slopes distribution of the full data set coming from this
LP and from the literature. We computed the spectral slope for each observed
object, and searched for possible weak absorption features. A statistical
analysis was performed on a total sample of 73 TNOs and Centaurs to look for
possible correlations between dynamical classes, orbital parameters, and
spectral gradient. We obtained new spectra for 28 bodies, 15 of which were
observed for the first time. All the new presented spectra are featureless,
including 2003 AZ84, for which a faint and broad absorption band possibly
attributed to hydrated silicates on its surface has been reported. The data
confirm a wide variety of spectral behaviours, with neutral--grey to very red
gradients. An analysis of the spectral slopes available from this LP and in the
literature for a total sample of 73 Centaurs and TNOs shows that there is a
lack of very red objects in the classical population. We present the results of
the statistical analysis of the spectral slope distribution versus orbital
parameters. In particular, we confirm a strong anticorrelation between spectral
slope and orbital inclination for the classical population. A strong
correlation is also found between the spectral slope and orbital eccentricity
for resonant TNOs, with objects having higher spectral slope values with
increasing eccentricity.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure
Physical Investigation of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (144898) 2004 VD17
In this paper we present the observational campaign carried out at ESO NTT
and VLT in April and May 2006 to investigate the nature and the structure of
the Near Earth Object (144898) 2004 VD17. In spite of a great quantity of
dynamical information, according to which it will have a close approach with
the Earth in the next century, the physical properties of this asteroid are
largely unknown. We performed visible and near--infrared photometry and
spectroscopy, as well as polarimetric observations. Polarimetric and
spectroscopic data allowed us to classify 2004 VD17 as an E-type asteroid. A
good agreement was also found with the spectrum of the aubrite meteorite Mayo
Belwa. On the basis of the polarimetric albedo (p_v=0.45) and of photometric
data, we estimated a diameter of about 320 m and a rotational period of about 2
hours. The analysis of the results obtained by our complete survey have shown
that (144898) 2004 VD17 is a peculiar NEO, since it is close to the breakup
limits for fast rotator asteroids, as defined by Pravec and Harris (2000).
These results suggest that a more robust structure must be expected, as a
fractured monolith or a rubble pile in a "strength regime" (Holsapple 2002).Comment: 32 pages, 7 figure, paper accepted for publication in Icaru
Low delta-V near-Earth asteroids: A survey of suitable targets for space missions
In the last decades Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) have become very important
targets to study, since they can give us clues to the formation, evolution and
composition of the Solar System. In addition, they may represent either a
threat to humankind, or a repository of extraterrestrial resources for suitable
space-borne missions. Within this framework, the choice of next-generation
mission targets and the characterisation of a potential threat to our planet
deserve special attention. To date, only a small part of the 11,000 discovered
NEOs have been physically characterised. From ground and space-based
observations one can determine some basic physical properties of these objects
using visible and infrared spectroscopy. We present data for 13 objects
observed with different telescopes around the world (NASA-IRTF, ESO-NTT, TNG)
in the 0.4 - 2.5 um spectral range, within the NEOSURFACE survey
(http://www.oa-roma.inaf.it/planet/NEOSurface.html). Objects are chosen from
among the more accessible for a rendez-vous mission. All of them are
characterised by a delta-V (the change in velocity needed for transferring a
spacecraft from low-Earth orbit to rendez-vous with NEOs) lower than 10.5 km/s,
well below the Solar System escape velocity (12.3 km/s). We taxonomically
classify 9 of these objects for the first time. 11 objects belong to the
S-complex taxonomy; the other 2 belong to the C-complex. We constrain the
surface composition of these objects by comparing their spectra with meteorites
from the RELAB database. We also compute olivine and pyroxene mineralogy for
asteroids with a clear evidence of pyroxene bands. Mineralogy confirms the
similarity with the already found H, L or LL ordinary chondrite analogues.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, to be published in A&A Minor changes by language
edito
Accelerated Projected Gradient Method for Linear Inverse Problems with Sparsity Constraints
Regularization of ill-posed linear inverse problems via penalization
has been proposed for cases where the solution is known to be (almost) sparse.
One way to obtain the minimizer of such an penalized functional is via
an iterative soft-thresholding algorithm. We propose an alternative
implementation to -constraints, using a gradient method, with
projection on -balls. The corresponding algorithm uses again iterative
soft-thresholding, now with a variable thresholding parameter. We also propose
accelerated versions of this iterative method, using ingredients of the
(linear) steepest descent method. We prove convergence in norm for one of these
projected gradient methods, without and with acceleration.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures. v2: added reference, some amendments, 27 page
A Peculiar Family of Jupiter Trojans: the Eurybates
The Eurybates family is a compact core inside the Menelaus clan, located in
the L4 swarm of Jupiter Trojans. Fornasier et al. (2007) found that this family
exhibits a peculiar abundance of spectrally flat objects, similar to
Chiron-like Centaurs and C-type main belt asteroids. On the basis of the
visible spectra available in literature, Eurybates family's members seemed to
be good candidates for having on their surfaces water/water ice or aqueous
altered materials. To improve our knowledge of the surface composition of this
peculiar family, we carried out an observational campaign at the Telescopio
Nazionale Galileo (TNG), obtaining near-infrared spectra of 7 members. Our data
show a surprisingly absence of any spectral feature referable to the presence
of water, ices or aqueous altered materials on the surface of the observed
objects. Models of the surface composition are attempted, evidencing that
amorphous carbon seems to dominate the surface composition of the observed
bodies and some amount of silicates (olivine) could be present.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures, paper accepted for publication in Icaru
Spectroscopic Survey of X-type Asteroids
We present reflected light spectral observations from 0.4 to 2.5 micron of 24
asteroids chosen from the population of asteroids initially classified as
Tholen X-type objects (Tholen, 1984). The X complex in the Tholen taxonomy
comprises the E, M and P classes which have very different inferred
mineralogies but which are spectrally similar to each other, with featureless
spectra in visible wavelengths. The data were obtained during several observing
runs in the 2004-2007 years at the NTT, TNG and IRTF telescopes. We find a
large variety of near-infrared spectral behaviors within the X class, and we
identify weak absorption bands in spectra of 11 asteroids. Our spectra,
together with albedos published by Tedesco et al. (2002), can be used to
suggest new Tholen classifications for these objects. In order to constrain the
possible composition of these asteroids, we perform a least-squares search
through the RELAB spectral database. Many of the best fits are consistent with
meteorite analogue materials suggested in the published literature. In fact, we
find that 7 of the new M-types can be fit with metallic iron (or pallasite)
materials, and that the low albedo C/P-type asteroids are best fitted with CM
meteorites, some of which have been subjected to heating episodes or laser
irradiation. Finally, we consider and analyse the sample of the X-type
asteroids we have when we combine the present observations with previously
published observations for a total of 72 bodies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Icaru
Volatile exposures on the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko nucleus
We present the most extensive catalog of exposures of volatiles on the
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko nucleus generated from observations acquired with the
OSIRIS cameras on board the Rosetta mission. We identified more than 600
volatile exposures on the comet. Bright spots are found isolated on the nucleus
or grouped in clusters, usually at the bottom of cliffs, and most of them are
small, typically a few square meters or smaller. Several of them are clearly
correlated with the cometary activity. We note a number of peculiar exposures
of volatiles with negative spectral slope values in the high-resolution
post-perihelion images, which we interpret as the presence of large ice grains
( 1000 m) or local frosts condensation. We observe a clear difference
both in the spectral slope and in the area distributions of the bright spots
pre- and post-perihelion, with these last having lower average spectral slope
values and a smaller size, with a median surface of 0.7 m, even if the size
difference is mainly due to the higher resolution achieved post-perihelion. The
minimum duration of the bright spots shows three clusters: an area-independent
cluster dominated by short-lifetime frosts; an area-independent cluster with
lifetime of 0.5--2 days, probably associated with the seasonal fallout of
dehydrated chunks; and an area-dependent cluster with lifetime longer than 2
days consistent with water-driven erosion of the nucleus. Even if numerous
bright spots are detected, the total surface of exposed water ice is less than
0.1% of the total 67P nucleus surface, confirming that the 67P surface is
dominated by refractory dark terrains, while exposed ice occupies only a tiny
fraction. Moreover, the abundance of volatile exposures is six times less in
the small lobe than in the big lobe, adding additional evidence to the
hypothesis that comet 67P is composed of two distinct bodies.Comment: 24 pages, 19 Figures; paper accepted for publication in Astron. and
Astrophysics on February 202
"TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region X. Analysis of classical Kuiper belt objects from Herschel and Spitzer observations
The classical Kuiper belt contains objects both from a low-inclination,
presumably primordial, distribution and from a high-inclination dynamically
excited population. Based on a sample of classical TNOs with observations at
thermal wavelengths we determine radiometric sizes, geometric albedos and
thermal beaming factors as well as study sample properties of dynamically hot
and cold classicals. Observations near the thermal peak of TNOs using infra-red
space telescopes are combined with optical magnitudes using the radiometric
technique with near-Earth asteroid thermal model (NEATM). We have determined
three-band flux densities from Herschel/PACS observations at 70.0, 100.0 and
160.0 m and Spitzer/MIPS at 23.68 and 71.42 m when available. We have
analysed 18 classical TNOs with previously unpublished data and re-analysed
previously published targets with updated data reduction to determine their
sizes and geometric albedos as well as beaming factors when data quality
allows. We have combined these samples with classical TNOs with radiometric
results in the literature for the analysis of sample properties of a total of
44 objects. We find a median geometric albedo for cold classical TNOs of 0.14
and for dynamically hot classical TNOs, excluding the Haumea family and dwarf
planets, 0.085. We have determined the bulk densities of Borasisi-Pabu (2.1
g/cm^3), Varda-Ilmare (1.25 g/cm^3) and 2001 QC298 (1.14 g/cm^3) as well as
updated previous density estimates of four targets. We have determined the
slope parameter of the debiased cumulative size distribution of dynamically hot
classical TNOs as q=2.3 +- 0.1 in the diameter range 100<D<500 km. For
dynamically cold classical TNOs we determine q=5.1 +- 1.1 in the diameter range
160<D<280 km as the cold classical TNOs have a smaller maximum size.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures Accepted to be published in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
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