Basis functions and uniqueness in orbit-averaged population analysis of asteroids

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel orbit-averaged method for analyzing asteroid populations using time-resolved photometry, enabling shape and spin distribution reconstruction even with limited data per asteroid.

Contribution

It formulates an orbit-averaged approach that uses brightness dispersion to infer population-level shape and spin distributions, addressing data scarcity issues.

Findings

Provides a new mathematical framework for population analysis

Enables shape and spin distribution estimation from limited observations

Offers insights into asteroid population characteristics

Abstract

Time-resolved photometry of asteroids can be used for shape and spin reconstruction. If the number of measurements per asteroid is not sufficient to create a model, the whole data set can be used to reconstruct the distribution of shape elongations and pole latitudes in the population. This is done by reconstructing amplitudes of lightcurves that are estimated from dispersion of points observed at (assumed) constant aspect angle. Here, we formulate orbit-averaged approach where the observable is the orbit-averaged dispersion of brightness.