Space Weathering within C-Complex Main Belt Asteroid Families

TL;DR

This study analyzes how space weathering affects the spectral properties of C-complex asteroid families in the Main Belt, revealing two distinct size-dependent spectral slope trends linked to different weathering processes.

Contribution

It identifies and characterizes two distinct spectral slope trends in C-complex asteroid families, enhancing understanding of space weathering effects on carbonaceous materials.

Findings

Hygiea-type families show decreasing then increasing spectral slopes with size.

Themis-type families show increasing then plateauing spectral slopes.

Most families exhibit Hygiea-type trend, indicating rapid weathering processes.

Abstract

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Object Catalog, we study color as a function of size for C-complex families in the Main Asteroid Belt to improve our understanding of space weathering of carbonaceous materials. We find two distinct spectral slope trends: Hygiea-type and Themis-type. The Hygiea-type families exhibit a reduction in spectral slope with increasing object size until a minimum slope value is reached and the trend reverses with increasing slope with increasing object size. The Themis family shows an increase in spectral slope with increasing object size until a maximum slope is reached and the spectral slope begins to decrease slightly or plateaus for the largest objects. Most families studied show the Hygiea-type trend. The processes responsible for these distinct changes in spectral slope affect several different taxonomic classes within the C-complex and appear to act quickly to alter the spectral slopes of the family members.