TL;DR
This study applies astrocladistics to classify Jovian Trojan asteroids, revealing hierarchical groupings and potential common origins, aiding future observational priorities and mission planning.
Contribution
It introduces astrocladistics as a novel method for classifying small Solar System bodies using combined survey data, uncovering hierarchical clans and subclans.
Findings
Identification of 48 clans with shared characteristics
Revealed hierarchical superclans reflecting population structure
Highlighted objects of interest for future observations
Abstract
The Jovian Trojans are two swarms of small objects that share Jupiter's orbit, clustered around the leading and trailing Lagrange points, L and L. In this work, we investigate the Jovian Trojan population using the technique of astrocladistics, an adaptation of the `tree of life' approach used in biology. We combine colour data from WISE, SDSS, Gaia DR2 and MOVIS surveys with knowledge of the physical and orbital characteristics of the Trojans, to generate a classification tree composed of clans with distinctive characteristics. We identify 48 clans, indicating groups of objects that possibly share a common origin. Amongst these are several that contain members of the known collisional families, though our work identifies subtleties in that classification that bear future investigation. Our clans are often broken into subclans, and most can be grouped into 10 superclans,…
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