Surface properties of the Kalliope-Linus system from ALMA and VLA data

TL;DR

This study uses ALMA and VLA radio observations to analyze the surface properties, composition, and thermal characteristics of asteroid Kalliope and its moon Linus, revealing heterogeneity and metal-rich regions.

Contribution

First detailed millimeter-wavelength thermal emission analysis of Kalliope and Linus, providing insights into their surface composition and formation history.

Findings

Kalliope's thermal inertia is 116 J m$^{-2}$ s$^{-0.5}$ K$^{-1}$.

Linus has less metal-rich surface with higher emissivity.

Heterogeneous metal distribution on Kalliope's surface.

Abstract

The abundance and distribution of metal in asteroid surfaces can be constrained from thermal emission measurements at radio wavelengths, informing our understanding of planetesimal differentiation processes. We observed the M-type asteroid (22) Kalliope and its moon Linus in thermal emission at 1.3, 9, and 20 mm with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) over most of Kalliope's rotation period. The 1.3 mm data provide ~30 km resolution on the surface of Kalliope, while both the 1.3 and 9 mm data resolve Linus from Kalliope. We find a thermal inertia for Kalliope of 116$^{+326}_{-91}$ J m$^{-2}$ s$^{-0.5}$ K$^{-1}$ and emissivities of 0.65$\pm$0.02 at 1.3 mm, 0.56$\pm$0.03 at 9 mm, and 0.77$\pm$0.02 at 20 mm. Kalliope's millimeter wavelength emission is suppressed compared to its centimeter wavelength emission, and is also depolarized. We measure emissivities for Linus of 0.73$\pm$0.04 and 0.85$\pm$0.17 at 1.3 and 9 mm respectively, indicating a less metal-rich surface composition for Linus. Spatial variability in Kalliope's emissivity reveals a region in the northern hemisphere with a high dielectric constant, suggestive of enhanced metal content. These results are together consistent with a scenario in which Linus formed from reaggregated ejecta from an impact onto a differentiated Kalliope, leaving Kalliope with a higher surface metal content than Linus, which is distributed heterogeneously across its surface. The low emissivity and lack of polarization suggest a reduced regolith composition where iron is in the form of metallic grains and constitutes ~25% of the surface composition.