Lightcurves of the Karin family asteroids

TL;DR

This study analyzes lightcurves of Karin family asteroids, revealing their slow rotation rates and a potential correlation between shape elongation and spin speed, providing insights into their original formation properties.

Contribution

First detailed lightcurve analysis of Karin family asteroids, showing their unique slow rotation rates and possible shape-spin relationship.

Findings

Karin asteroids have lower rotation rates than NEAs and other MBAs.

Potential correlation between asteroid elongation and rotation speed.

Lightcurve data suggest preservation of original family properties.

Abstract

The Karin family is a very young asteroid family created by an asteroid breakup 5.8 Myr ago. Since the members of this family probably have not experienced significant orbital or collisional evolution yet, it is possible that they still preserve properties of the original family-forming event in terms of their spin state. As we carried out a series of photometric observations of the Karin family asteroids, here we report an analysis result of lightcurves including the rotation period of eleven members. The mean rotation rate of the Karin family members turned out to be much lower than those of NEAs or smaller MBAs (diameter D<12 km), and even lower than that of larger MBAs (D>130 km). We investigated a correlation between the peak-to-peak variation magnitude reduced to zero solar phase angle and the rotation period of the eleven Karin family asteroids, and found a possible trend that elongated members have lower spin rate, and less elongated members have higher spin rate. However, this has to be confirmed by another series of future observations.