The Plutino Population: An Abundance of Contact Binaries
Abstract
We observed 12 Plutinos over two separated years with the 4.3 m Lowell’s Discovery Channel Telescope. Here, we present the first light-curve data for those objects. Three of them (2014 JL80, 2014 JO80, and 2014 JQ80) display a large light-curve amplitude explainable by a single elongated object, but they are most likely caused by a contact binary system due to their light-curve morphology. These potential contact binaries have rotational periods from 6.3 to 34.9 hr and peak-to-peak light-curve variability between 0.6 and 0.8 mag. We present partial light curves, allowing us to constrain the light-curve amplitude and the rotational period of another nine Plutinos. By merging our data with the literature, we estimate that up to ∼40% of the Plutinos could be contact binaries. Interestingly, we found that all of the suspected contact binaries in the 3:2 resonance are small with absolute magnitude H > 6 mag. Based on our sample and the literature, up to ∼50% of the small Plutinos are potential contact binaries.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- June 2018
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-3881/aac0ff
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1804.09695
- Bibcode:
- 2018AJ....155..248T
- Keywords:
-
- Kuiper belt objects: individual: 2014 JL80;
- 2014 JO80;
- 2014 JQ80;
- techniques: photometric;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- In press, AJ