Dausend, Lonnie

Title:
Determining the Composition of Trojan Asteroids by Analyzing the Mid-infrared Spectra of Fine-Grained Silicates

Abstract:
Studying the surface mineralogy of the Trojan asteroids provides information about where they may have formed. A large number of asteroids located in the Main Belt are composed of hydrated silicates, such as the phyllosilicate, serpentine (labeled PHY 01). We will present the mid-infrared (MIR; 5 – 35 μm ) spectra of two different grain sizes of PHY 01 taken with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Peaks located in the 10-μm region will be analyzed as porosity changes to better understand the MIR spectra of the Trojans. If the Trojans contain phyllosilicates, this would suggest they migrated from the Main Belt, as opposed to the Kuiper Belt. We found that this may not be the case. Our peak analysis tells us that PHY 01 spectra do not closely match the Trojan spectra, meaning the Trojans do not present strong evidence of containing phyllosilicates. This result supports the Nice Model, which suggests an outer Solar System migration.

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