Spectral similarity of unbound asteroid pairs

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2014-04, Vol.439 (3), p.3085-3093
• Main Authors: Wolters, Stephen D., Weissman, Paul R., Christou, Apostolis, Duddy, Samuel R., Lowry, Stephen C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Asteroids; Astronomy; Infrared imaging systems; Planets
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu171

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy between 0.8 and 2.5 μ has been obtained for both components of three unbound asteroid pairs, using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility with the SpeX instrument. Pair primary (2110) Moore-Sitterly is classified as an S-type following the Bus-DeMeo taxonomy; the classification for secondary (44612) 1999 RP27 is ambiguous: S/Sq/Q/K/L-type. Primary (10484) Hecht and secondary (44645) 1999 RC118 are classified as V-types. IR spectra for Moore-Sitterly and Hecht are each linked with available visual photometry. The classifications for primary (88604) 2001 QH293 and (60546) 2000 EE85 are ambiguous: S/Sq/Q/K/L-type. Subtle spectral differences between them suggest that the primary may have more weathered material on its surface. Dynamical integrations have constrained the ages of formation: 2110-44612 > 782 kyr; 10484-44645 = 348 (+823,−225) kyr; 88604-60546 = 925 (+842,−754) kyr. The spectral similarity of seven complete pairs is ranked in comparison with nearby background asteroids. Two pairs, 17198-229056 and 19289-278067, have significantly different spectra between the components, compared to the similarity of spectra in the background population. The other pairs are closer than typical, supporting an interpretation of each pair's formation from a common parent body.