Thermophysical modelling of eclipse and occultation events in binary asteroid systems

Abstract Binary systems comprise approximately 15percnt of the near-Earth asteroid population, yet thermal-infrared data are often interpreted for these bodies as if they are single objects. Thermal-IR light curves of binary asteroids (3905) Doppler and (175706) 1996 FG3 are analysed using an adaptation of the Advanced Thermophysical Model, deriving new constraints on their thermal inertias as Γ = 114 ± 31 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2 and Γ = 142 ± 6 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2, respectively. We determine that this adapted model is suitable for binary systems where their primary rotation to secondary orbit period ratios can be approximately characterised by small integers. Objects with more complex orbital states require a model with alternative temperature convergence methodologies. Thermal inertia is shown to have a strong effect on binary thermophysical light curve morphology, introducing significant modulations both inside and outside of mutual event times. The depth of eclipse events are shown to be suppressed at longer wavelengths due to the sensitivity to cooler parts of the surface, meanwhile surface roughness is shown to have little effect on the thermal light curve morphology. A proof of concept model for the (65803) Didymos system is demonstrated, showing how such a binary model could be used to study the system during the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, and the applicability of this adapted model to NASA’s Lucy mission is also briefly discussed.