長谷川 直

Context. Ch-type asteroids are distinctive among other dark asteroids in that they exhibit deep negative polarization branches (NPBs). Nevertheless, the physical and compositional properties that cause their polarimetric distinctiveness are less investigated. Aims. We aim to investigate the polarimetric uniqueness of Ch-type asteroids by making databases of various observational quantities (i.e., spectroscopic and photometric properties as well as polarimetric ones) of dark asteroids. Methods. We conducted an intensive polarimetric survey of 52 dark asteroids (including 31 Ch-type asteroids) in the R_C band to increase the size of polarimetric samples. The observed data were compiled with previous polarimetric, spectroscopic, and photometric archival data to find their correlations. Results. We find remarkable correlations between these observed quantities, particularly the depth of NPBs and their spectroscopic features associated with the hydrated minerals. The amplitude of the opposition effect in photometric properties also shows correlations with polarimetric and spectral properties. However, these observed quantities do not show noticeable correlations with the geometric albedo, thermal inertia, and diameter of asteroids. Conclusions. Based on the observational evidence, we arrive at our conclusion that the submicrometer-sized structures (fibrous or flaky puff pastry-like structures in phyllosilicates) in the regolith particles could contribute to the distinctive NPBs of hydrated asteroids.

Large terrestrial bodies in our solar system like the Earth, Mars, Mercury, and the Moon exhibit geologically complex surfaces with compositional heterogeneity. From past studies using large telescopes and spacecraft, it was shown that asteroids with diameters larger than 100 km also show surface heterogeneity at hemispheric scales, while on smaller objects, such features remain to be detected. Here, we investigate candidates for surface heterogeneity in a sample of 130 main-belt asteroids using multiepoch spectroscopic data from the MIT–Hawaii Near-Earth Object Spectroscopic Survey, which has been observing asteroids for about 20 yr using a self-consistent observation technique. Twelve conservative candidates with spectra more than 3σ apart from each other at 2.4 μm and 52 optimistic candidates for surface heterogeneity are detected. These candidates include eight objects already reported as being heterogeneous. Our study suggests that the size boundary between small homogeneous asteroids and larger heterogeneous objects, if it exists, is lower than 100 km. A-type asteroids have a higher proportion of heterogeneous candidates than other asteroids. This may be because olivine, which is the main surface constituent of these objects, reacts more efficiently to space weathering with respect to pyroxene, such that a similar range of surface ages will translate into a wider range of optical-to-near-infrared spectral slopes in the case of A-type bodies....

Knowledge of the shock remanent magnetization (SRM) property is crucial for interpreting the spatial change in a magnetic anomaly observed over an impact crater. This study conducted two series of impact-induced SRM acquisition experiments by varying the applied field intensity (0-400 μT) and impact conditions. Systematic remanence measurements of cube-shaped subsamples cut from shocked basalt containing single-domain titanomagnetite were conducted to investigate the effects of changes in pressure and temperature on the SRM acquisition. The peak pressure and temperature distributions in the shocked samples were estimated using shock-physics modeling. SRM intensity was proportional to the applied field intensity of up to 400 μT. SRM intensity data for peak pressure and temperature of up to 8.0 GPa and 530 K, respectively, clearly show that it increases with increasing pressure and decreases with increasing temperature. The SRM has unblocking temperature components up to a Curie temperature of 510 K, and it easily demagnetizes with alternating field demagnetization. The observed SRM properties can be explained by the pressure-induced microcoercivity reduction and temperature-induced modification of the blocking curve. Although the remanence acquisition efficiency of the SRM is significantly lower than that of the thermoremanent magnetization (TRM), the magnetic anomaly originating from the SRM distribution in a broader region may show a contribution comparable to that of the impact-induced TRM distribution in a narrow region....

We conducted optical polarimetry and near-infrared spectroscopy of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Hayabusa2# mission target, (98943) 2001 CC₂₁, in early 2023. Our new observations indicate that this asteroid has a polarimetric inversion angle of ~20°, absorption bands around 0.9 and 1.9 μm, and a geometric albedo of 0.23 ± 0.04. All these features are consistent with those of S types but inconsistent with L types. Based on this evidence, we conclude that JAXA's Hayabusa2# spacecraft will explore an S-type asteroid (more specifically, an L or LL chondrite-like object) with albedo and size (0.44-0.53 km when we assume the absolute magnitude of 18.8) similar to (25143) Itokawa....

Basaltic V-type asteroids are common in the inner part of the Main Asteroid Belt and much less abundant in the mid and outer parts. They are of scientific interest because they sample crusts and mantles of theoretically plentiful differentiated planetesimals that existed in the Solar System four billion years ago. Some Solar System theories suggest that those objects formed in the terrestrial planet region and were then implanted in the main asteroid belt. In consequence, we should observe a large number of fragments of multiple differentiated planetesimals in the inner Main Belt. That region of the Asteroid Belt is filled with V-type fragments; however, they are difficult to tell apart from typical Vestoids and Vesta fugitives. In this work, we focus on physical and dynamical characterization of V-types in the inner Main-Belt and aim to reconcile those properties with the planetesimal formation and evolution theories. <P />We conducted an observing campaign over the years 2013-2022 and obtained photometric observations of V-type asteroids located mostly outside the Vesta family at specific locations of the inner Main Belt (the so-called Cells I and II). The total number of partial dense photometric lightcurves obtained in this study was ∼ 2910. We were able to model ∼100 V-types. We further supplement those data with 133 spins of V-types from the DAMIT database and 237 objects derived from Gaia DR3 (Ďurech &amp; Hanuš 2023). We found 78% ±11% and 38% ±13% retrograde rotators in Cell I and II, respectively. This statistic is remarkably consistent with the numerical simulations of the escape paths of Vesta fugitives that predict 81% retrograde rotators in Cell I and 40% in Cell II after the dynamical integration of 2 Gys. Based on our statistics we conclude that if there are non-Vestoids in the inner main belt, they are likely to be very few. This is consistent with the small fraction of anomalous HED meteorites in meteorite collections, small number of non-Vestoids in the middle and outer Main Belt and points to planetesimal formation location close to the Sun....

Recently, impact experiments in space have been conducted in planetary exploration using hollow or internally structured projectiles. In laboratory experiments using hollow projectiles to investigate the differences in crater and ejecta from the case of solid projectiles, a plume perpendicular to the target surface has been observed, which has not been seen in conventional cratering experiments using solid projectiles. In this study, we conducted crater-formation experiments using hollow resin projectiles to understand the mechanism through which vertical plumes form in the case of hollow projectiles. We examined the generation of a vertical plume as a function of the impact velocity, v _imp. We found that (i) no vertical plume occurs at v _imp &lt; 200 m s^-1, (ii) the cases with or without a vertical plume are mixed at 200 &lt; v _imp &lt; 350 m s^-1, (iii) no vertical plume occurs at 350 &lt; v _imp &lt; 800 m s^-1, and (iv) a vertical plume occurs at 2 &lt; v _imp &lt; 3 km s^-1. We qualitatively discussed the generation mechanism of the vertical plume using the results of recovered projectiles. Depending on v _imp, an empty hole in which there is no projectile materials can be opened along the central axis, resulting in the generation of a vertical plume....

Context. Hydrated minerals, such as phyllosilicates, on asteroids can provide constraints on the temperature or compositional distribution of the early Solar System. Previous studies pointed out the possibility that absorption in the near-ultraviolet (NUV, 0.35-0.5 μm) wavelength region is a proxy for hydrated minerals in primitive asteroids. However, the radial distribution of the NUV absorption among primitive asteroids was not revisited after the Eight Color Asteroid Survey (ECAS). <BR /> Aims: Our objectives are first to evaluate the possibility of using the NUV absorption as diagnostics of hydrated minerals based on the recent datasets of primitive asteroids and hydrated carbonaceous chondrites, and second to investigate the reflectance spectrophotometry of the primitive asteroids in the NUV as functions of heliocentric distance and size. <BR /> Methods: The NUV and visible reflectance spectrophotometry of more than 9000 primitive asteroids was investigated using two spectrophotometric surveys, ECAS and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which cover wavelengths down to 0.32 μm and 0.36 μm, respectively. We classified asteroids from the main asteroid belt, the Cybele and Hilda zones, and Jupiter Trojans based on Tholen's taxonomy and described the statistical distribution of primitive asteroid types. We also examined the relationship of the NUV, 0.7 μm, and 2.7 μm absorptions among primitive asteroids and hydrous carbonaceous chondrites CI and CM. <BR /> Results: We find strong correlations between the NUV and the OH-band (2.7 μm) absorptions for primitive asteroids and hydrated meteorites, suggesting the NUV absorption can be indicative of hydrated silicates. Moreover, there is a great difference in the NUV absorption between the large asteroids (diameter d &gt; 50 km) and small asteroids (d &lt; 10 km) in the taxonomic distribution. The taxonomic distribution of asteroids differs between the inner main belt and middle-outer main belt. Notably, the C types are dominating large members through the main belt and the F types are dominating small asteroids of the inner main belt. The asteroids beyond the main belt consist mostly of P and D types, although P types are common everywhere in the main belt. The peculiar distribution of F types might indicate a different formation reservoir or a displacement process of F types in the early Solar System. The strongest absorptions of the NUV and 0.7 μm band were observed in G types, which likely comprise CM-like Fe-rich phyllosilicates. On the other hand, according to a recent sample return from an F-type asteroid (162173) Ryugu, the F types with the OH-band at 2.7 μm and the shallow NUV absorption could comprise CI-like Mg-rich phyllosilicates....

Evidence is seen for young, fresh surfaces among Near-Earth and Main-Belt asteroids even though space-weathering timescales are shorter than the age of the surfaces. A number of mechanisms have been proposed to refresh asteroid surfaces on short timescales, such as planetary encounters, YORP spinup, thermal degradation, and collisions. Additionally, other factors such as grain size effects have been proposed to explain the existence of these "fresh-looking" spectra. To investigate the role each of these mechanisms may play, we collected a sample of visible and near-infrared spectra of 477 near-Earth and Mars Crosser asteroids with similar sizes and compositions - all with absolute magnitude H &gt; 16 and within the S-complex and having olivine to pyroxene (ol/(ol+opx)) ratios &gt;0.65. We taxonomically classify these objects in the Q (fresh) and S (weathered) classes. We find four trends in the Q/S ratio: (1) previous work demonstrated the Q/S ratio increases at smaller sizes down to H ≲16, but we find a sharp increase near H ∼19 after which the ratio decreases monotonically. (2) in agreement with many previous studies, the Q/S ratio increases with decreasing perihelion distance, and we find it is non-zero for larger perihelia &gt;1.2AU, (3) as a new finding our work reveals the Q/S ratio has a sharp, significant peak near ∼5° orbital inclination, and (4) we confirm previous findings that the Q/S ratio is higher for objects that have the possibility of encounter with Earth and Venus versus those that do not, however this finding cannot be distinguished from the perihelion trend. No single resurfacing mechanism can explain all of these trends, so multiple mechanisms are required. YORP spin-up scales with size, thermal degradation is dependent on perihelion, planetary encounters trend with inclination, perihelion and MOID, noting that asteroid-asteroid collisions are also dependent on inclination. It is likely that a combination of all four resurfacing mechanisms are needed to account for all observational trends....

The material strength of meteorites provides useful information on the make-up and history of asteroids. However, the unique determination of the material strength of a meteorite is difficult because of the wide range of strengths many meteorites exhibit. Even within a single sample, complicated textures and mineral granular compositions make measurements difficult. Michikami et al. (2019) investigated the impact-induced crack growth in ordinary (L5) chondrites and indicated that crack growth is largely affected by the strength of individual mineral grains (and/or chondrules). In this study, we examine the strengths of mineral grains in carbonaceous meteorites qualitatively. To this end, we use X-ray microtomography to investigate how chondrules are affected by impact-induced crack growth in carbonaceous meteorites. Spherical alumina projectiles with a diameter of 1.0 mm were fired into the surfaces of seven Allende (CV) meteorite target samples with sizes of ∼1 to 2 cm at a nominal impact velocity of 2.0 km/s. In addition, spherical glass projectiles with a diameter 0.8 mm were fired into the target surfaces of two Murchison (CM) and two Aguas Zarcas (CM) meteorite target samples with sizes of ∼2 cm at a nominal impact velocity of 4.0 km/s. The results show that most cracks in CV chondrites tend to grow along the boundary surfaces of the chondrules, while most chondrule-related cracks in CM samples grow regardless of the boundary surfaces of the chondrules. This suggests that crack growth is largely affected by the chondrules' strength as indicated by Michikami et al. (2019). The weaker the strength of chondrules, the more likely crack growth tends to occur regardless of chondrule boundaries. We found that the mesostasis of chondrules in CM meteorite Murchison (and likely Aguas Zarcas) has experienced aqueous alteration and the chondrules have become structurally weak as a whole. This indicates that impact-induced crack propagation in CM chondrites differs from thermal-fatigue induced crack propagation inferred from previous studies. As the sample material to be returned from asteroid Bennu is considered to be related to CM chondrites, we propose that observation of the cracks in chondrules in Bennu samples might tell us whether those cracks are impact- or thermal-fatigue-induced....

Abstract The surfaces of airless bodies like asteroids in the solar system are known to be affected by space weathering. Experiments simulating space weathering are essential for studying the effects of this process on meteorite samples, but the problem is that the time spent to reproduce space weathering in these experiments is billions of times shorter than the actual phenomenon. In 2010 December, the T-type asteroid 596 Scheila underwent a collision with an impactor a few tens of meters in size. A decade later, there is an opportunity to study how the surface layer of this asteroid is being altered by space weathering after the impact. To do so, we performed visible spectrophotometric and near-infrared spectroscopic observations of 596 Scheila. The acquired spectrum is consistent with those observed shortly after the 2010 impact event within the observational uncertainty range. This indicates that the surface color of dark asteroids is not noticeably changed by space weathering over a 10 yr period. This study is the first to investigate color changes due to space weathering on an actual asteroid surface in the solar system. Considering that fresh layers are regularly created on asteroid surfaces by collisions, we suggest a genetic link between D/T-type and dark (low albedo) X-complex asteroids and very red objects such as 269 Justitia, 732 Tjilaki, and 203 Pompeja. New observations show that 203 Pompeja has an X-type-like surface, with some local surface areas exhibiting a very red spectrum.

Ejecta velocity distribution is an important property for controlling asteroid surface evolution and for changing the size frequency distribution of asteroids and planetary dusts. Recent asteroid explorations revealed that boulders on an asteroid surface had a wide size frequency distribution. On the other hand, many studies on ejecta velocity distribution for cratering experiments used fine-grained homogeneous targets. Thus, to study the ejection process of various-sized boulders on rubble-pile asteroids, we conducted impact experiments using gas guns at impact velocities of 100 m s^-1 to 4 km s^-1 on targets with various-sized glass beads, and analyzed boulder trajectories in three dimensions to clarify the effect of grain size on ejection velocity distribution. The results showed that the ejection velocity, v₀, decreased as the bead size increased, and the ejecta velocity scaling law was improved to v₀√{/gR} =k₂^{'(r₀ + a/R) - 1/μ'} including the bead radius, a; r₀ is the initial position of the bead, g is the gravitational acceleration, R is the crater radius, and k₂^' and μ' are, respectively, 0.58 ± 0.02 and 0.62 ± 0.02 for the low-impact velocity range (&lt;200 m s^-1) and 0.61 ± 0.07 and 0.57 ± 0.04 for the high-impact velocity range (&gt;1 km s^-1). Using our improved ejecta velocity scaling law, we calculated the landing points of ejected boulders and concluded that boulders with radii &gt;0.34R could not be ejected outside the final crater. Moreover, when the Urashima crater on asteroid 162173 Ryugu was formed on the surface, boulders up to 64 m in diameter may have been ejected beyond the escape velocity of Ryugu to become tiny monolithic asteroids....

Context. The thermal and radiative environments encountered by asteroids have shaped their surface features. Recent observations have focused on asteroids in the main belt and showed indications for ices and organics in the interiors of the asteroids that were likely significant on prebiotic Earth. They stand out in reflectance spectra as darker, redder colours than most colocated asteroids. <BR /> Aims: We probe the surface environment of large (&gt;80km in diameter) T-type asteroids. This taxonomic type is relatively ill-constrained as an independent group. We discuss their place of origin based on our probing. <BR /> Methods: We performed spectroscopic observations of two T-type asteroids, (96) Aegle and (570) Kythera, over the L band (2.8-4.0 µm) using the Subaru telescope. The spectra of other T-type asteroids are available in the literature, as are survey datasets. Based on this, we strove to find commonalities and global trends in this group. We also used the archival polarimetric data of the asteroids and meteorite spectra from laboratory experiments to constrain their surface texture and composition. <BR /> Results: Our targets exhibit red L-band continuum slopes, (0.30±0.04) µm⁻¹ for (96) Aegle and (0.31 ± 0.03) µm⁻¹ for (570) Kythera, that are similar to those of (1) Ceres and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and have an OH-absorption feature with band centres &lt;2.8 µm. For (96) Aegle, we find an indication of a shallow N-H band near 3.1 µm and a C-H band of organic materials over 3.4-3.6 µm, whereas no diagnostic bands of water ice and other volatiles exceeding the noise of the data were seen for both asteroids. The large T-type asteroids except for (596) Scheila display spectral shapes similar to those of to our targets. About 50% of large T-type asteroids contain an absorption band near 0.6−0.65 µm that is likely associated with hydrated minerals. For T-type asteroids (except for Jupiter Trojans) of all sizes, we found a weak correlation that the smaller the diameter and the closer to the Sun, the redder the visible (0.5−0.8 µm) slope. <BR /> Conclusions: The 2.9 µm band depths of large T-type asteroids suggest that they might have experienced aqueous alteration comparable to Ch-type asteroids, but that it was more intense than for most of the main-belt asteroids. The polarimetric phase curve of the T-type asteroids is well described by a particular surface structure. The 0.5−4.0 µm reflectance spectra of large T-type asteroids appear most similar to those of CI chondrites with grain sizes of ~25−35 µm. Taken as a whole, we propose that large T-type asteroids may have been dislodged roughly around 10 au in the early Solar System....

We report on the first polarimetric study of (3200) Phaethon, the target of JAXA's DESTINY⁺ mission, in the negative branch to ensure its anhydrous nature and to derive an accurate geometric albedo. We conducted observations at low phase angles (Sun-target-observer angle, α = 8.8-32.4°) from 2021 October to 2022 January and found that Phaethon has a minimum polarization degree P_min = -1.3 ± 0.1 per cent, a polarimetric slope h = 0.22 ± 0.02 per cent deg^-1, and an inversion angle α₀ = 19.9 ± 0.3°. The derived geometric albedo is p_V = 0.11 (in the range of 0.08-0.13). These polarimetric properties are consistent with anhydrous chondrites, contradict hydrous chondrites, and typical cometary nuclei....

Abstract Experiments on crater formation in the strength regime were conducted using projectiles of various shapes with an aspect ratio of ~ 1, including both solid and hollow interiors. The surface diameter, inner (pit) diameter, and depth of the craters on basalt and porous gypsum targets were measured. Using the bulk density of the projectile, the surface diameter and depth for basalt and the pit diameter and depth for porous gypsum were scaled using the pi-scaling law for crater formation in the strength regime. The numerical code iSALE was used to simulate the impact of projectiles of various shapes and interior structure with similar bulk densities. Results show that the distributions of the maximum (peak) pressure experienced and particle velocity in the targets were similar regardless of projectile shape and interior structure, implying that the dimensions of the final craters were almost identical. This is consistent with the experimental results. Thus, we conclude that the size of the craters formed by the impact of projectiles with different shape and interior structure can be scaled using a conventional scaling law in the strength regime, using bulk density as projectile density. Graphical abstract

MIMIZUKU is the first-generation mid-infrared instrument for the TAO 6.5-m telescope. It has three internal optical channels to cover a wide wavelength range from 2 to 38 mu m. Of the three channels, the NIR channel is responsible for observations in the shortest wavelength range, shorter than 5.3 mu m. The performance of the NIR channel is evaluated in the laboratory. Through the tests, we confirm the followings: 1) the detector (HAWAII-1RG with 5.3-mu m cutoff) likely achieves similar to 80% quantum efficiency; 2) imaging performance is sufficient to achieve seeing-limit spatial resolution; 3) system efficiencies in imaging modes are 2.4-31%; and 4) the system efficiencies in spectroscopic modes is 5-18%. These results suggest that the optical performance of the NIR channel is achieved as expected from characteristics of the optical components. However, calculations of the background levels and on-sky sensitivity based on these results suggest that neutral density (ND) filters are needed to avoid saturation in L'- and M'-band observations and that the ND filters and the entrance window, made of chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) diamond, significantly degrade the sensitivity in these bands. This means that the use of different window materials and improvements of the detector readout speed are required to achieve both near-infrared and long-wavelength mid-infrared (>30 mu m) observations.

Abstract We conducted impact experiments using targets composed of particles with size distributions and projectiles with a size larger than or comparable with the maximum size of particles in targets. The pattern and particle concentration in the ejecta curtain were investigated. The results show three types of ejecta curtain features: (i) filament pattern extending throughout the entire curtain and high concentration, (ii) filament pattern and low concentration, and (iii) mesh-like pattern with a structure on smaller scales than the entire curtain and low concentration. When the target consists of particles using a bimodal size distribution with size differences of more than one order of magnitude, the filament pattern appears, exhibiting case (i). If the target consists of particles with various sizes with size differences of more than one order of magnitude, the filament pattern appears, but the concentration decreases, appearing the features of case (ii). Case (iii) occurs when the target consists of particles with a single size or when the mass of particles with a certain size is dominant. Thus, the size distribution of the particles in the targets determines the pattern and particle concentration in the ejecta curtain. Based on these results, we confirm that the pattern in the ejecta curtain caused by the impact of the Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) in the Hayabusa2 mission showing case (i) is consistent with the evaluated sizes and masses of grains and boulders in the ejecta curtain. Graphical Abstract

We performed cratering experiments on targets composed of glass beads with a power-law size distribution that simulated the surface of rubble-pile asteroids, and we improved the previously studied reduction factor on the crater size scaling relationship including the armoring effect using the momentum transfer efficiency. Cratering experiments were conducted using light gas guns at Kobe University and ISAS/JAXA to control the impact velocity, v_i, from 50 to 4,400 m s^-1. Two kinds of mixed targets were prepared by mixing glass beads with diameters of 0.1, 1, 3, and 10 mm—one with the smallest diameter beads, and one without. The size ratio of the target bead to the projectile (diameter of 1-3 mm), ϕ, changed from 0.03 to 10. The crater size scaling relationships for the mixed targets were found to depend on the first contacted bead size. Notably, first contact with a 10 mm-sized bead reduced the crater radius by 35% in maximum. The reduction factor due to this armoring effect on the crater size scaling relationship is written as follows: f(ϕ)= [1+(8.99×10^-3)v_i^0.63]^0.34φ^-0.19; it decreased with the increase of the size ratio of the target bead to the projectile, while it increased with the increase of the impact velocity and approached unity. Our improved crater size scaling relationship that includes the reduction factor could be used to reconstruct the crater size frequency distribution on rubble-pile asteroids such as Ryugu, and it may lead to a revision of the crater chronology of asteroids....

Radiation phenomena are usually observed during fracture of quartz-bearing rocks. Since quartz is a piezoelectric material, the associated electrical processes such as the electrification of fracture surface and the flight of electrons between fracture surfaces should be important for radiation during fractures. In this article, supposing that travelling electrons between crack surfaces cause the radiation, we experimentally investigate X-ray emission in a vacuum and visible-light emission in the atmosphere during rock and mineral fracture and verify the consistency of both emissions. The number of electrons in flight between surfaces during fracture that result in X-ray is estimated and the comparison with the number of photons in visible light suggests that one electron repeatedly collides with N2 molecules. The estimated number of collisions resulting in a visible-light emission is slightly less than the expected upper limit. This is reasonable because the collision would cause the light emission not always in the wavelengths of visible light. Moreover, the number of electrons resulting in X-rays is comparable with the number of electrons resulting in the emission of radio waves during fracture obtained in previous studies. Thus, we conclude that the radiations during fracture can be attributed to the flight of electrons between fracture surfaces. Finally, we evaluate the feasibility of observing the X-ray emission in planetary exploration and the radio waves and the visible light in natural earthquakes and find that these radiations are observable.

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The Hayabusa2 spacecraft investigated the C-type (carbonaceous) asteroid (162173) Ryugu. The mission performed two landing operations to collect samples of surface and subsurface material, the latter exposed by an artificial impact. We present images of the second touchdown site, finding that ejecta from the impact crater was present at the sample location. Surface pebbles at both landing sites show morphological variations ranging from rugged to smooth, similar to Ryugu’s boulders, and shapes from quasi-spherical to flattened. The samples were returned to Earth on 6 December 2020. We describe the morphology of &gt;5 grams of returned pebbles and sand. Their diverse color, shape, and structure are consistent with the observed materials of Ryugu; we conclude that they are a representative sample of the asteroid....

We have developed a method to investigate the whole mass-velocity distribution of impact fragments generated by catastrophic disruption of simulated planetesimals. Flash X-ray radiography including 12 iron particles for tracers was used to visualize the interior of the target, and the velocity distribution of the whole target was estimated by using the velocities of the tracers measured by X-ray images. High-velocity impact experiments in the laboratory and numerical simulations were conducted for four types of targets simulating rocky and frozen planetesimals at various specific energies, Q. These targets consisted of frozen clays with three different water contents ranging from 25 to 45 wt% and porous gypsum with a porosity of 51%. The shattering strength, Q_S*, and the mass-velocity distribution (MVD) were studied for these targets. The Q_S* of the frozen clays varied by a factor of 3-4 times, depending on the water content, and the Q_S* for porous gypsum was almost the same as that for the frozen clays with lower water contents. The numerical impact simulations led to slightly different Q_S* and MVD values for the frozen clay targets, possibly because of the partly ductile behavior of these samples. The MVDs resulting from the porous gypsum targets were well reproduced in the simulations. The cumulative mass of fragments with an ejection velocity slower than a specific velocity was examined to introduce a median velocity, v^⁎, charactering the mass-velocity distribution. The v^⁎ is defined as the velocity at which the cumulative mass corresponds to a half of the original target mass in the distribution. The v^⁎ values of the frozen clays were described by the empirical equation v^∗ = εQ^γ with almost the same ε and γ, irrespective of the water content, but the v^⁎ of porous gypsum was about 1/3 that of the frozen clays. These experimental results were well reproduced by the numerical simulations for both frozen clays and porous gypsum targets. The dispersion strength, Q_D*, could be derived by comparing v^⁎ with the escape velocity, v_esc, of a target body with an effective mass, M, and radius, R. From this, a semi-theoretical equation showing the dispersion strength was derived: Q_D^∗ = [1/ε^{(2 GM/R)}]^1/2 1 / γ. Numerical simulations of catastrophic disruptions including self-gravity were conducted to directly determine Q_D* at large scale. These calculations showed that the effective mass of the target body, which is used in the computation of v_esc = v^⁎, should be a half of the original target mass, M = M_target /2. Our results suggest that this approach for computing the semi-theoretical dispersion strength is suitable for bodies larger than ~10 km....

粉体をはじめとする複雑媒体中の衝撃波伝播時の運動量, エネルギー輸送過程はまだ良くわかっていない. これは異なる密度やサイズを持つ鉱物粒子と空隙で構成されている隕石母天体にそのまま当てはまる. 我々は粉体への衝突実験で爆心点周辺物質を回収する方法を開発した.

Dust emission was detected on main-belt asteroid 596 Scheila in 2010 December and was attributed to the collision of a few-tens-of-meters projectile on the surface of the asteroid. In such an impact, the ejected material from the collided body is expected to mainly come from its fresh, unweathered subsurface. Therefore, it is expected that the surface of 596 was partially or entirely refreshed during the 2010 impact. By combining spectra of 596 from the literature and our own observations, we show that the 2010 impact event resulted in a significant slope change in the near-infrared (0.8-2.5 μm) spectrum of the asteroid, from moderately red (T type) before the impact to red (D type) after the impact. This provides evidence that red carbonaceous asteroids become less red with time due to space weathering, in agreement with predictions derived from laboratory experiments on the primitive Tagish Lake meteorite, which is spectrally similar to 596. This discovery provides the very first telescopic confirmation of the expected weathering trend of asteroids spectrally analog to Tagish Lake and/or anhydrous chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles. Our results also suggest that the population of implanted objects from the outer solar system is much larger than previously estimated in the main belt, but many of these objects are hidden below their space-weathered surfaces....

The investigation of asteroids near the Sun is important for understanding the final evolutionary stage of primitive Solar system objects. A near-Sun asteroid (NSA), (155140) 2005 UD, has orbital elements similar to those of (3200) Phaethon (the target asteroid for the JAXA's DESTINY⁺ mission). We conducted photometric and polarimetric observations of 2005 UD and found that this asteroid exhibits a polarization phase curve similar to that of Phaethon over a wide range of observed solar phase angles (α = 20-105°) but different from those of (101955) Bennu and (162173) Ryugu (asteroids composed of hydrated carbonaceous materials). At a low phase angle (α ≲ 30°), the polarimetric properties of these NSAs (2005 UD and Phaethon) are consistent with anhydrous carbonaceous chondrites, while the properties of Bennu are consistent with hydrous carbonaceous chondrites. We derived the geometric albedo, p_V ~ 0.1 (in the range of 0.088-0.109); mean V-band absolute magnitude, H_V = 17.54 ± 0.02; synodic rotational period, $T_\mathrm{rot} = 5.2388 \pm 0.0022 \, \mathrm{h}$ (the two-peaked solution is assumed); and effective mean diameter, $D_\mathrm{eff} = 1.32 \pm 0.06 \, \mathrm{km}$. At large phase angles (α ≳ 80°), the polarization phase curve are likely explained by the dominance of large grains and the paucity of small micron-sized grains. We conclude that the polarimetric similarity of these NSAs can be attributed to the intense solar heating of carbonaceous materials around their perihelia, where large anhydrous particles with small porosity could be produced by sintering....

A projectile impact onto a granular target produces an ejecta curtain with heterogeneous material distribution. Understanding how the heterogeneous pattern forms is potentially important for understanding how crater rays form. Previous studies predicted that the pattern formation is induced by inelastic collisions of ejecta particles in early stages of crater formation and terminated by the ejecta's expanding motion. In this study, we test this prediction based on a hypervelocity impact experiment together with N-body simulations where the trajectories of inelastically colliding granular particles are calculated. Our laboratory experiment suggests that pattern formation is already completed on a timescale comparable to the geometrical expansion of the ejecta curtain, which is ~10 μs in our experiment. Our simulations confirm the previous prediction that the heterogeneous pattern grows through initial inelastic collisions of particle clusters and subsequent geometric expansion with no further cluster collisions. Furthermore, to better understand the two-stage evolution of the mesh pattern, we construct a simple analytical model that assumes perfect coalescence of particle clusters upon collision. The model shows that the pattern formation is completed on the timescale of the system's expansion independently of the initial conditions. The model also reproduces the final size of the clusters observed in our simulations as a function of the initial conditions. It is known that particles in the target are ejected at lower speeds with increased distance to the impact point. The difference in the ejection speed of the particles may result in the evolution of the mesh pattern into rays....

Hayabusa2 is the Japanese Asteroid Return Mission and targeted the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu, conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The goal of this mission was to conduct proximity operations including remote sensing observations, material sampling, and a Small Carry-On Impact experiment, as well as sample analyses. As of September 2020, the spacecraft is on the way back to Earth with samples from Ryugu with no critical issues after the successful departure in November 2019. Here, we propose an extended mission in which the spacecraft will rendezvous with a small asteroid with ~30 m - ~40 m in diameter that is rotating at a spin period of ~10 min after an additional ~10-year cruise phase. We introduce that two scenarios are suitable for the extended mission. In the first scenario, the spacecraft will perform swing-by maneuvers at Venus once and Earth twice to arrive at asteroid 2001 AV43. In the second scenario, it will perform swing-by maneuvers at Earth twice to reach asteroid 1998 KY26. In both scenarios, the mission will continue until the early 2030s. JAXA recently released the decision that the spacecraft will rendezvous with 1998 KY26. This paper focuses on our scientific assessments of the two scenarios but leaves the decision process to go to 1998 KY26 for future reports. Rendezvous operations will be planned to detail the physical properties and surrounding environments of the target, one of the smallest elements of small planetary bodies. By achieving the planned operations, the mission will provide critical hints on the violent histories of collisions and accumulations of small bodies in the solar system. Furthermore, the established scientific knowledge and techniques will advance key technologies for planetary defense....

Two extremely red main-belt asteroids, 203 Pompeja and 269 Justitia, were identified from combined visible and near-infrared spectroscopic observations collected at the Infra-red Telescope Facility (IRTF) and Seoul National University Astronomical Observatory (SAO). These two asteroids have a redder spectral slope than any other D-type body, which are the reddest objects in the asteroid belt, and similar to RR and IR-class objects found in the outer Solar System among trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs. Spectroscopic results suggest the presence of complex organic materials on the surface layer of these asteroids, implying that they could have formed in the vicinity of Neptune and been transplanted to the main belt region during a phase of planetary migration. 203 Pompeja is the only very red asteroid known so far among the ~250 bodies with diameter larger than 110 km (i.e., presumably structurally intact) found in the asteroid belt. These discoveries provide more evidence that the main asteroid belt hosts a population of bodies that were formed in the outskirts of the Solar System....

Planetesimals—the initial stage of the planetary formation process—are considered to be initially very porous aggregates of dusts^1,2, and subsequent thermal and compaction processes reduce their porosity³. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft found that boulders on the surface of asteroid (162173) Ryugu have an average porosity of 30-50% (refs. ^4-6), higher than meteorites but lower than cometary nuclei⁷, which are considered to be remnants of the original planetesimals⁸. Here, using high-resolution thermal and optical imaging of Ryugu's surface, we discovered, on the floor of fresh small craters (&lt;20 m in diameter), boulders with reflectance (~0.015) lower than the Ryugu average⁶ and porosity &gt;70%, which is as high as in cometary bodies. The artificial crater formed by Hayabusa2's impact experiment⁹ is similar to these craters in size but does not have such high-porosity boulders. Thus, we argue that the observed high porosity is intrinsic and not created by subsequent impact comminution and/or cracking. We propose that these boulders are the least processed material on Ryugu and represent remnants of porous planetesimals that did not undergo a high degree of heating and compaction³. Our multi-instrumental analysis suggests that fragments of the highly porous boulders are mixed within the surface regolith globally, implying that they might be captured within collected samples by touch-down operations^10,11....

Planetesimals—the initial stage of the planetary formation process—are considered to be initially very porous aggregates of dusts^1,2, and subsequent thermal and compaction processes reduce their porosity³. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft found that boulders on the surface of asteroid (162173) Ryugu have an average porosity of 30-50% (refs. ^4-6), higher than meteorites but lower than cometary nuclei⁷, which are considered to be remnants of the original planetesimals⁸. Here, using high-resolution thermal and optical imaging of Ryugu's surface, we discovered, on the floor of fresh small craters (&lt;20 m in diameter), boulders with reflectance (~0.015) lower than the Ryugu average⁶ and porosity &gt;70%, which is as high as in cometary bodies. The artificial crater formed by Hayabusa2's impact experiment⁹ is similar to these craters in size but does not have such high-porosity boulders. Thus, we argue that the observed high porosity is intrinsic and not created by subsequent impact comminution and/or cracking. We propose that these boulders are the least processed material on Ryugu and represent remnants of porous planetesimals that did not undergo a high degree of heating and compaction³. Our multi-instrumental analysis suggests that fragments of the highly porous boulders are mixed within the surface regolith globally, implying that they might be captured within collected samples by touch-down operations^10,11....

Knowledge of the shock remanent magnetization (SRM) property is crucial to interpret the spatial changes in magnetic anomalies observed over the impact crater. This study reports the spatial distributions of SRM intensity and stability of single domain titanomagnetite bearing basalt based on the SRM acquisition experiments using a two stage light gas gun with Al projectiles, remanence measurements for divided subsamples, and impact simulations. The SRM properties systematically change with increasing pressure, and three distinctive aspects are recognized at different pressure ranges: (1) constant intensity below 0.1 GPa, (2) linear trend as intensity is proportional to pressure up to 1.1 GPa, and (3) constant intensity and increasing stability above 1.9 GPa. The SRM intensity and stability distributions suggest that the crustal rocks containing the single domain titanomagnetite originally had an SRM intensity distribution according to the distance from the impact point, which changed depending on the remanence stability after the impact....

The asteroid exploration project "Hayabusa2" has successfully returned samples from the asteroid (162173) Ryugu. In this study, we measured the linear polarization degrees of Ryugu using four ground-based telescopes from 2020 September 27 to December 25, covering a wide-phase angle (Sun-target-observer's angle) range from 28° to 104°. We found that the polarization degree of Ryugu reached 53% around a phase angle of 100°, the highest value among all asteroids and comets thus far reported. The high polarization degree of Ryugu can be attributed to the scattering properties of its surface layers, in particular the relatively small contribution of multiply scattered light. Our polarimetric results indicate that Ryugu's surface is covered with large grains. On the basis of a comparison with polarimetric measurements of pulverized meteorites, we can infer the presence of submillimeter-sized grains on the surface layer of Ryugu. We also conjecture that this size boundary represents the grains that compose the aggregate. It is likely that a very brittle structure has been lost in the recovered samples, although they may hold a record of its evolution. Our data will be invaluable for future experiments aimed at reproducing the surface structure of Ryugu....

We study the packing fraction of clusters in free-falling streams of spherical and irregularly shaped particles using flash x-ray radiography. The estimated packing fraction of clusters is low enough to correspond to coordination numbers less than 6. Such coordination numbers in numerical simulations correspond to aggregates that collide and grow without bouncing. Moreover, the streams of irregular particles evolved faster and formed clusters of larger sizes with lower packing fraction. This result on granular streams suggests that particle shape has a significant effect on the agglomeration process of granular materials....

Deorbit methods have been employed to remove space debris from orbit. One of these methods is to utilize atmospheric drag. In this method, a membrane loaded into the spacecraft is expanded to increase atmospheric drag. Although this method works without requiring fuel, it has the disadvantage of a high risk of collision with other debris owing to its larger area. Area-time product and energy-to-mass ratio have been used as indices to evaluate the risk of collisions between spacecraft and debris. However, the evaluation criteria were uncertain because these two indices are independent. In this paper, we propose a new evaluation index, single-sheet collision factor (SSCF), that comprehensively evaluates the collision risk based on experiments simulating debris collisions. As a result of the hypervelocity collision experiment, we found that the penetration-area mass of the spacecraft affects the severity of debris collisions. In this paper, the product of the exterior-wall thickness, the exterior-wall density, and the space debris cross-sectional area defines the penetration-area mass of the spacecraft. Furthermore, we compare and evaluate various deorbit methods using SSCF. The comparison showed that the penetration-area mass of the SSCF could be quantitatively determined for the debris-collision severity due to difference in structural materials of spacecraft. SSCF will be used to create rules for space-environment conservation with the expansion of the space-development market....

Most C-complex asteroids have albedo values less than 0.1, but there are some high-albedo (bright) C-complex asteroids with albedo values exceeding 0.1. To reveal the nature and origin of bright C-complex asteroids, we conducted spectroscopic observations of the asteroids at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. As a result, the bright B-, C-, and Ch-type (Bus) asteroids, which are subclasses of the Bus C-complex, are classified as DeMeo C-type asteroids with concave curvature, B-, Xn-, and K-type asteroids. Analogue meteorites and material (CV/CK chondrites, enstatite chondrites/achondrites, and salts) associated with these spectral types of asteroids are thought to be composed of minerals and material exposed to high temperatures. A comparison of the results obtained in this study with the SDSS photometric data suggests that salts may have occurred in the parent bodies of 24 Themis and 10 Hygiea, as well as 2 Pallas. The bright C-complex asteroids in other C-complex families were likely caused by impact heating. Bright C-complex asteroids that do not belong to any families are likely to be impact-metamorphosed carbonaceous chondrites, CV/CK chondrites, or enstatite chondrites/achondrites....

Context. To investigate the physical properties of the surface layers of small Solar System objects, we take advantage of the phase-angle dependence of the linear polarization degree, which varies with albedo, composition, and other factors. In particular, the angle at which the positive and negative are reversed is a polarimetric parameter known as inversion angle. A group with large inversion angles (the so-called Barbarians) is unusual and is also noteworthy because of their association with meteorites. <BR /> Aims: We identified an object with such a large inversion angle in the near-Earth asteroids and derived previously unknown parameters, including the maximum polarization degree. By comparing the polarimetric parameters and spectral properties of meteorites, we inferred the surface conditions based on the degree of polarization of the asteroid. <BR /> Methods: We carried out multiband polarization imaging observations of an L-type near-Earth asteroid, (85989) 1999 JD₆, at the Hokkaido University Observatory in 2015 and 2019, covering a wide range of phase angles 30°-105°. Of the polarimetric parameters, we derived the maximum value, inversion angle, and the slope at that angle from the phase angle-polarization degree curve. <BR /> Results: We found that the inversion angle and the maximum polarization degree of 1999 JD₆ are 27° and 13%. The inversion angle is significantly larger than those of the majority of all asteroids observed before, but is consistent with that of Barbarian asteroids. 1999 JD₆ is the first example belonging to this group that is also among the near-Earth asteroids. <BR /> Conclusions: We claim that 1999 JD₆ is a member of the Barbarians and has rougher surface particles than lunar regolith....

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We conducted four sets of impact experiments using sedimentary rock targets and three different kinds of projectiles at a variety of impact angles in order to examine how the density of a projectile affects the dimensions of a crater as the angle of impact decreases, the threshold angle for the formation of elliptical craters, and the threshold angle for the formation of pits. The crater profiles, crater volume, equivalent diameter, length, width, depth, and ellipticity of each set were carefully measured to be used in comparison with small craters that formed on the weak rocky surfaces of planetary bodies. The results indicate that the crater volume, equivalent diameter, width, and depth decrease with the impact angle, while the length of the crater within a set does not decrease monotonically with impact angle. This trend in crater length is consistent with the results of previous studies. Although craters formed at higher impact angles have a central pit, the pit becomes unclear and eventually disappears as the impact angle decreases. A larger threshold angle is required for the formation of pits at slower impact velocity than at higher impact velocity. Our results suggest that the presence of a central pit is indicative of impacts at higher angles and/or higher velocity. The ratio of the volume of craters resulting from oblique impacts to that of craters formed by normal impacts was proportional to the power of the sine of the impact angle. The power index was found to range between 1.46 and 2.20, with an average of 1.57. Comparison of the averaged power index to the power index of the π-group crater scaling rules, it is experimentally suggested that the hypothesis indicating that the vertical velocity component controls crater formation is plausible on a brittle target. The threshold angles for the formation of elliptical craters for three different kind of projectiles were almost consistent with those obtained in previous studies. Our results strongly suggested that the threshold angle for the formation of elliptical craters for high-density impactor, such as iron meteorites, are higher than for rocky impactors. We then obtained a relationship between the threshold angle for the formation of pits and the cratering efficiency. It is revealed that the threshold angle for the formation of pits is greater than the threshold angle for the formation of elliptical craters, when the cratering efficiency is in the range 7-30. A well-developed pit-spall structure in the crater may be used to indicate both, the impact angle and the vertical component of the impact velocity....

Seafloor cratering is an important process that records the impact history of the Earth, affects projectile survivability, and determines the mass of ejecta from benthic rock that is transported to the atmosphere. We report experimental hypervelocity impacts of chondrite and other projectiles (olivine, stainless-steel, polycarbonate) on a water-covered iron target to derive a scaling relationship for benthic cratering. In situ observations of 5-km/s impacts quantify the deceleration of projectiles in the water column by shock-induced deformation and fragmentation. The minimum water depths at which multiple craters appeared on the benthic target were two and four times the projectile diameter for chondrite and stainless steel, respectively. Based on the observed deceleration of projectiles in water, the cratering efficiency of a benthic target for a given impact velocity is predicted to follow an exponential decay law in terms of water depth normalized by projectile diameter (H/d), given by π_v ∝ exp(-(H/d)/κ), when a projectile of original mass collides with the target. Comparing the volume of the largest crater in the experiments and that derived from the scaling relation, mass ratios of the largest projectile fragment to original projectile in the 5-km/s impact were calculated to be 0.1-0.3 (H/d = 2-6) and 1.0 ± 0.3 (H/d = 5.5) for chondrite and stainless steel, respectively. Using the scaling relationship, the volume of the transient crater on oceanic crust by an asteroid impact is estimated to be smaller than previously predicted by hydrocode simulation when the asteroid fragmentation in the water column controls seafloor cratering....