WISE/NEOWISE Multi-Epoch Imaging of the Potentially Geminid-related Asteroids: (3200) Phaethon, 2005 UD and 1999 YC

TL;DR

This study uses space-based infrared imaging to investigate potential mass-loss activity of Geminid-related asteroids, finding no significant activity or dust trails, and setting upper limits on dust production that challenge their role in forming the Geminid stream.

Contribution

First multi-epoch infrared observations of these asteroids with stringent upper limits on dust emission, providing new constraints on their activity and contribution to the Geminid meteoroid stream.

Findings

No evidence of lasting mass-loss in the observed asteroids.

Upper limits on dust mass-loss rates are below levels needed to sustain the Geminid stream.

No dust trails or co-moving objects detected around the asteroids.

Abstract

We present space-based thermal infrared observations of the presumably Geminid-associated asteroids: (3200)Phaethon, 2005 UD and 1999 YC using WISE/NEOWISE. The images were taken at the four wavelength bands 3.4$\mu$m(W1),4.6$\mu$m(W2),12$\mu$m(W3),and 22$\mu$m(W4). We find no evidence of lasting mass-loss in the asteroids over the decadal multi-epoch datasets. We set an upper limit to the mass-loss rate in dust of Q<2kg s$^{-1}$ for Phaethon and <0.1kg s$^{-1}$ for both 2005 UD and 1999 YC, respectively, with little dependency over the observed heliocentric distances of R=1.0$-$2.3au. For Phaethon, even if the maximum mass-loss was sustained over the 1000(s)yr dynamical age of the Geminid stream, it is more than two orders of magnitude too small to supply the reported stream mass (1e13$-$14kg). The Phaethon-associated dust trail (Geminid stream) is not detected at R=2.3au, corresponding an upper limit on the optical depth of $\tau$<7e-9. Additionally, no co-moving asteroids with radii r<650m were found. The DESTINY+ dust analyzer would be capable of detecting several of the 10$\mu$m-sized interplanetary dust particles when at far distances(>50,000km) from Phaethon. From 2005 UD, if the mass-loss rate lasted over the 10,000yr dynamical age of the Daytime Sextantid meteoroid stream, the mass of the stream would be ~1e10kg. The 1999 YC images showed neither the related dust trail ($\tau$<2e-8) nor co-moving objects with radii r<170m at R=1.6au. Estimated physical parameters from these limits do not explain the production mechanism of the Geminid meteoroid stream. Lastly, to explore the origin of the Geminids, we discuss the implications for our data in relation to the possibly sodium (Na)-driven perihelion activity of Phaethon.