Extremely strong polarization of an active asteroid (3200) Phaethon

Takashi Ito (), Masateru Ishiguro, Tomoko Arai, Masataka Imai, Tomohiko Sekiguchi, Yoonsoo P. Bach, Yuna G. Kwon, Masanori Kobayashi, Ryo Ishimaru, Hiroyuki Naito, Makoto Watanabe and Kiyoshi Kuramoto
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Takashi Ito: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Masateru Ishiguro: Seoul National University
Tomoko Arai: Chiba Institute of Technology
Masataka Imai: Hokkaido University
Tomohiko Sekiguchi: Hokkaido University of Education
Yoonsoo P. Bach: Seoul National University
Yuna G. Kwon: Seoul National University
Masanori Kobayashi: Chiba Institute of Technology
Ryo Ishimaru: Chiba Institute of Technology
Hiroyuki Naito: Nayoro Observatory
Makoto Watanabe: Okayama University of Science
Kiyoshi Kuramoto: Hokkaido University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon is the parent body of the Geminid meteor stream. Phaethon is also an active asteroid with a very blue spectrum. We conducted polarimetric observations of this asteroid over a wide range of solar phase angles α during its close approach to the Earth in autumn 2016. Our observation revealed that Phaethon exhibits extremely large linear polarization: P = 50.0 ± 1.1% at α = 106.5°, and its maximum is even larger. The strong polarization implies that Phaethon’s geometric albedo is lower than the current estimate obtained through radiometric observation. This possibility stems from the potential uncertainty in Phaethon’s absolute magnitude. An alternative possibility is that relatively large grains (~300 μm in diameter, presumably due to extensive heating near its perihelion) dominate this asteroid’s surface. In addition, the asteroid’s surface porosity, if it is substantially large, can also be an effective cause of this polarization.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04727-2

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