The polarimetric survey of main belt asteroids

R. GIL-HUTTON

Meudon

Workshop; Regolith on Solar System Bodies; 2010

Observatoire de Paris

The first results of a polarimetric survey of main belt asteroids at ComplejoAstronómico El Leoncito (Casleo), San Juan, Argentina are presented. Theaims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, toestimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids belonging to differenttaxonomic classes, and to search for objects exhibiting anomalous polarimetricproperties, similar to those shown by the asteroid (234) Barbara. The surveybegan in 2003, and up to 2009 data on a sample of more than 170 asteroidswere obtained, most of them are being polarimetrically observed for the firsttime. Using these data we also find phase-polarization curves and polarimetricparameters for several taxonomic classes.