Revising the Age for the Baptistina Asteroid Family Using WISE/NEOWISE Data

November 2012 • 2012ApJ...759...14M

Authors • Masiero, Joseph R. • Mainzer, A. K. • Grav, T. • Bauer, J. M. • Jedicke, R.

Abstract • We have used numerical routines to model the evolution of a simulated Baptistina family to constrain its age in light of new measurements of the diameters and albedos of family members from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. We also investigate the effect of varying the assumed physical and orbital parameters on the best-fitting age. We find that the physically allowed range of assumed values for the density and thermal conductivity induces a large uncertainty in the rate of evolution. When realistic uncertainties in the family members' physical parameters are taken into account, we find that the best-fitting age can fall anywhere in the range of 140-320 Myr. Without more information on the physical properties of the family members, it is difficult to place a more firm constraint on Baptistina's age.

Links

• PDF https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/759/1/14/pdf
• PDF https://stacks.iop.org/0004-637X/759/14/pdf
• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.1430
• ELECTR https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0004-637X%2F759%2F1%2F14
• SPIRES http://inspirehep.net/search?p=find+eprint+arXiv:1209.1430