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J. P. Emery, R. H. Brown (Univ. Arizona/LPL)
We have obtained near-IR spectroscopic data of Trojan asteroids at both K-band (1.9 to 2.5 \mu m) and L-band (2.9 to 3.5 \mu m) using NSFCAM on the IRTF. The aim of these observations is to investigate the surface compositional properties of Trojan asteroids. The K-band data here have a higher S/N than existing data, so they should be more sensitive to the detection of molecular features. Another important aspect of these observations is that they are the first spectroscopic measurements of Trojan asteroids to be extended out to the L-band region, where the fundamental absorptions are much stronger than the overtones and combinations present in the K-band. This region is therefore more sensitive to the detection of important molecules (e.g. hydrocarbons, water of hydration, water ice), the presence of which have been suggested, but never confirmed or refuted by direct detection. Measurements of the surface composition of Trojan asteroids will provide constraints for models of the origin and evolution of icy bodies, and could provide insight into conditions in the early solar nebula. We will present the near-IR spectroscopic data in the context of existing data on Trojan asteroids and discuss the analysis and implications of these results.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: josh@lpl.arizona.edu