KOALA: 3-D shape of asteroids from multi-data inversion

Abstract

International audienceWe describe our on-going observing program to determine the physical properties of asteroids from groundbased facilities. We combine disk-resolved images from adaptive optics, optical lightcurves, and stellar occultations to put tighter constraints on the spin, 3-D shape, and size of asteroids. We will discuss the relevance of the determination of physical properties to help understand the asteroid population (e.g., density, composition, and non-gravitational forces). We will then briefly describe our multi-data inversion algorithm KOALA (Carry et al. 2010a, Kaasalainen 2011, see also Kaasalainen et al., same meeting), which allows the determination of certain physical properties of an asteroid from the combination of different techniques of observation. A comparison of results obtained with KOALA on asteroid (21) Lutetia, prior to the ESA Rosetta flyby, with the high spatial resolution images returned from that flyby, will then be presented, showing the high accuracy of KOALA inversion. Finally, we will describe our current development of the algorithm, and focus on examples of other asteroids currently being studied with KOALA