Bibcode
Pravec, P.; Scheirich, P.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Harris, A. W.; Kusnirak, P.; Hornoch, K.; Pray, D. P.; Higgins, D.; Galád, A.; Világi, J.; Gajdos, S.; Kornos, L.; Oey, J.; Husárik, M.; Cooney, W. R.; Gross, J.; Terrell, D.; Durkee, R.; Pollock, J.; Reichart, D.; Ivarsen, K.; Haislip, J.; Lacluyze, A.; Krugly, Y. N.; Gaftonyuk, N.; Dyvig, R.; Reddy, V.; Stephens, R. D.; Chiorny, V.; Vaduvescu, O.; Longa, P.; Tudorica, A.; Warner, B. D.; Masi, G.; Brinsfield, J.; Gonçalves, R.; Brown, P.; Krzeminski, Z.; Gerashchenko, O.; Marchis, F.
Bibliographical reference
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011, held 2-7 October 2011 in Nantes, France. http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011, p.312
Advertised on:
10
2011
Citations
1
Refereed citations
1
Description
Our photometric observations of 18 mainbelt binary systems in more than
one apparition revealed a strikingly high number of 15 having positively
re-observed mutual events in the return apparitions. Our simulations of
the survey showed that the data strongly suggest that poles of mutual
orbits between components of binary asteroids are not distributed
randomly: The null hypothesis of the isotropic distribution of orbit
poles is rejected at a confidence level greater than 99.99%. Binary
orbit poles concentrate at high ecliptic latitudes, within 30° of
the poles of the ecliptic. We propose that the binary orbit poles
oriented preferentially up/down-right are due to formation of small
binary systems by rotational fission of critically spinning parent
bodies with poles near the YORP asymptotic states with obliquities near
0 and 180°. An alternative process of elimination of binaries with
poles closer to the ecliptic by the Kozai dynamics of gravitational
perturbations from the sun does not explain the observed orbit pole
concentration as in the close asteroid binary systems the J2
perturbation due to the primary dominates the solar-tide effect.