基于NEATM和WISE数据的小尺寸近地小行星物理特性研究
Physical Characterization of Small Near-Earth Asteroids Based on NEATM and WISE Data
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摘要: 小行星是太阳系中广泛分布的金属或岩石天体, 直径从米级跨越到几百公里. 它们蕴含了太阳系早期的信息, 同时也可能会与地球轨道相交且撞击地球, 因此研究小行星的物理参数、物质成分和表面性质对于了解太阳系行星的形成演化和近地天体防御具有重要意义. 以国际小行星中心(Minor Planet Center, MPC)获取直径D < 160m的小尺寸近地小行星共67颗作为研究对象, 其中包含部分潜在威胁小行星(Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, PHA). 基于NEATM (Near-Earth Asteroid Thermal Model), 使用广域红外巡天望远镜(Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, WISE)的观测数据, 利用反射光模型对太阳反射光进行了修正, 使用动力学模型计算WISE观测历元的小行星轨道数据, 计算了这67颗小尺寸近地小行星的直径和反照率. 拟合过程采用马尔科夫链蒙特卡洛(Markov Chain Monte Carlo, MCMC)方法, 与WISE的研究结果和MPC的数据进行了比较分析, 给出了其分类特征. 研究为小行星的观测和理论提供了有力的支持, 可以更好地了解近地小行星的特征和演化.Abstract: Asteroids are metallic or rocky celestial bodies widely distributed in the solar system, ranging in diameter from meters to hundreds of kilometers. They contain information from the early stages of the solar system and may intersect with Earth's orbit and potentially collide with the planet. Therefore, studying the physical parameters, material composition, and surface properties of asteroids is important for understanding the formation and evolution of planets and small celestial bodies in the solar system, as well as for near-earth object defense. Using data obtained from Minor Planet Center (MPC), small near-earth asteroids with a diameter of less than 160 meters including some potentially hazardous asteroids (PHA), were selected as research objects. Based on Near-Earth Asteroid Thermal Model (NEATM), observation data of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) was used to calculate the orbital data of 67 small-sized near-Earth asteroids during WISE observation epoch using a dynamic model. Reflection light from the Sun was corrected using a reflection model, diameters and albedos of these asteroids were then computed. Fitting process used Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, and results were compared and analyzed with the research results from WISE team and data from MPC to give the classification characteristics. This research provides powerful support for the observation and theory of asteroids and can better understand the characteristics and evolution of near-earth asteroids.