Adaptive optics and lightcurve data of asteroids: twenty shape models and information content analysis

TL;DR

This paper develops asteroid shape models using adaptive optics and lightcurve data, analyzing the information content and uncertainties involved in reconstructing nonconvex shapes from these observations.

Contribution

It introduces new shape models for twenty asteroids and evaluates the data's information capacity and reconstruction ambiguities.

Findings

Shape models for twenty asteroids are presented.

Error estimation and deconvolution effects are analyzed.

Ambiguity and uniqueness in shape reconstruction are discussed.

Abstract

We present shape models and volume estimates of twenty asteroids based on relative photometry and adaptive optics images. We discuss error estimation and the effects of myopic deconvolution on shape solutions. For further analysis of the information capacities of data sources, we also present and discuss ambiguity and uniqueness results for the reconstruction of nonconvex shapes from photometry.