Published 2012 | Version v1
Book section

Asteroid Polarimetry: Current Activities and Recent Results

Others:
INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (OATo) ; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
Institute of Astronomy [Kharkiv] ; V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (KhNU)
Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA) ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris ; Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) ; Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
PLANETO - LATMOS ; Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS) ; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Department of Physics [Helsinki] ; Falculty of Science [Helsinki] ; Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki-Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki
Finnish Geodetic Institute (FGI)
Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI)
P. Bastien
N. Manset
D. P. Clemens
and N. St-Louis

Description

Polarimetry is a very useful tool for asteroid studies because it makes it possible to get information on some important physical parameters, like geometric albedo, which are intimately related to surface composition and regolith structure. In recent years there has been a strongly renewed interest in the field of asteroid polarimetry, due to new theoretical and observational results. Some new discoveries have been done, including a few objects exhibiting fairly exotic polarimetric properties, that had not been observed previously. Moreover, it is now largely agreed that polarimetry is the best available technique to derive reliable and fairly accurate estimates of the albedo of small near-Earth objects. On the other hand, some problems are present and deserve a careful attention, including primarily the need of converging towards a unique and improved calibration of the albedo - linear polarization relation. The above subjects are briefly discussed, and some kind of "road map" for further developments is sketched.

Abstract

(Conférence invitée)

Additional details

Created:
December 4, 2022
Modified:
December 1, 2023