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A. Doressoundiram (Observatoire de Paris), N. Peixinho (Centro de Astronomia e Astrofisica da Universidade de Lisboa and Observatoire de Paris), M.A. Barucci, S. Fornasier, S. Blancho (Observatoire de Paris)
We have started since 1997 a multicolor photometric survey with the aim of collecting a large and homogeneous set of color data for Trans-Neptunian and Centaurs objects. We present here our latest B-V, V-R and R-I colors measurements obtained with the CFH12K mosaic camera of the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). With about 30 objects reported in this work, we have a sample of 60 objects large enough to search for compositional structures, interrelations with related populations and correlations with physical and orbital parameters. We confirmed the wide and continuous spread of all the B-V, V-R and R-I colors. We find no correlation between size, color, or heliocentric distance. Nevertheless, there is an excess of very red objects with perihelion distance greater than 40 AU, that may indicate that resurfacing mechanisms may be inefficient in reworking objects beyond 40 AU. More interestingly, we found a strong correlation between color and inclination or mean collision speed. Objects with high eccentricity and inclination are always neutral/slightly red, suggesting that collisions are efficient processes rejuvenating the surfaces in that region of the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt.
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