Speaker
Joseph Masiero
(Caltech/IPAC)
Description
The polarization of light reflected by asteroids can be used to constrain the albedo of the asteroid's surface, and probe mineralogical surface properties such as grain size and index of refraction. Depending on the specific mineral components of the body these surface properties are expected to change with wavelength, and so observations of the polarization beyond the visible provide powerful probes of the surface conditions. We present recent results from our Palomar WIRC+Pol survey of asteroid polarizations at
near-infrared wavelengths, and discuss some of the unexpected wavelength-induced changes to the polarimetric-phase relationship. We also discuss the capacity for NIR polarimetry to support near-Earth object analysis.
Primary author
Joseph Masiero
(Caltech/IPAC)
