From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans
In this work, we present 0.7–5.0 μ m spectra of eight Neptunian Trojans (NTs) as observed by the JWST’s NIRSpec instrument. The reddest NT, 2013 VX _30 , exhibits a unique spectrum with strong absorption features between 3 and 4 μ m, while the bluest NT, 2006 RJ _103 , shows negligible water absorpt...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Larissa Markwardt Hsing Wen Lin Bryan J. Holler David W. Gerdes Fred C. Adams Renu Malhotra Kevin J. Napier |
| author_facet | Larissa Markwardt Hsing Wen Lin Bryan J. Holler David W. Gerdes Fred C. Adams Renu Malhotra Kevin J. Napier |
| author_sort | Larissa Markwardt |
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| description | In this work, we present 0.7–5.0 μ m spectra of eight Neptunian Trojans (NTs) as observed by the JWST’s NIRSpec instrument. The reddest NT, 2013 VX _30 , exhibits a unique spectrum with strong absorption features between 3 and 4 μ m, while the bluest NT, 2006 RJ _103 , shows negligible water absorption. A principal component analysis comparing these spectra with those of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs reveals that most NTs belong to the “bowl-type” spectral group, while 2013 VX _30 is categorized as “cliff-type” in the N. Pinilla-Alonso et al. taxonomy. For the bluest NT in our sample, 2006 RJ _103 shows some evidence that it may be related to carbonaceous asteroids. For the red object 2011 SO _277 , we find no close TNO spectral counterpart. Except for the true outlier 2011 SO _277 , NTs have better spectral analogs among Plutinos and distant Centaurs, suggesting that spectral variation within major groups may arise from current temperature and location, rather than solely from formation regions. Finally, we highlight optical slope (S′) and near-IR slope (SIR _1 ) as effective indicators for distinguishing spectral groups and identifying outliers. These findings enable the use of broadband photometry to explore NT and TNO surface compositions, especially for faint objects, which will be directly applicable to large photometric surveys like the Dark Energy Survey and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-3338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-bbc6b459f7f344308cac44e2c1f10bcb2025-08-20T03:31:41ZengIOP PublishingThe Planetary Science Journal2632-33382025-01-016715410.3847/PSJ/addecdFrom Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian TrojansLarissa Markwardt0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2486-1118Hsing Wen Lin1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7737-6784Bryan J. Holler2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6117-0164David W. Gerdes3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6942-2736Fred C. Adams4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8167-1767Renu Malhotra5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1226-3305Kevin J. Napier6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4827-5049Department of Physics, University of Auckland , Science Centre 303, 38 Princes Street Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand ; larissa.markwardt@auckland.ac.nzDepartment of Physics, University of Michigan , 450 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA; Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society, University of Michigan , 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USASpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USADepartment of Physics, University of Michigan , 450 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan , 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA; Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University , 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USADepartment of Physics, University of Michigan , 450 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan , 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USALunar and Planetary Laboratory , 1629 East University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Physics, University of Michigan , 450 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA; Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society, University of Michigan , 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAIn this work, we present 0.7–5.0 μ m spectra of eight Neptunian Trojans (NTs) as observed by the JWST’s NIRSpec instrument. The reddest NT, 2013 VX _30 , exhibits a unique spectrum with strong absorption features between 3 and 4 μ m, while the bluest NT, 2006 RJ _103 , shows negligible water absorption. A principal component analysis comparing these spectra with those of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs reveals that most NTs belong to the “bowl-type” spectral group, while 2013 VX _30 is categorized as “cliff-type” in the N. Pinilla-Alonso et al. taxonomy. For the bluest NT in our sample, 2006 RJ _103 shows some evidence that it may be related to carbonaceous asteroids. For the red object 2011 SO _277 , we find no close TNO spectral counterpart. Except for the true outlier 2011 SO _277 , NTs have better spectral analogs among Plutinos and distant Centaurs, suggesting that spectral variation within major groups may arise from current temperature and location, rather than solely from formation regions. Finally, we highlight optical slope (S′) and near-IR slope (SIR _1 ) as effective indicators for distinguishing spectral groups and identifying outliers. These findings enable the use of broadband photometry to explore NT and TNO surface compositions, especially for faint objects, which will be directly applicable to large photometric surveys like the Dark Energy Survey and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST.https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/addecdNeptune trojansInfrared spectroscopyMulti-color photometry |
| spellingShingle | Larissa Markwardt Hsing Wen Lin Bryan J. Holler David W. Gerdes Fred C. Adams Renu Malhotra Kevin J. Napier From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans The Planetary Science Journal Neptune trojans Infrared spectroscopy Multi-color photometry |
| title | From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans |
| title_full | From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans |
| title_fullStr | From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans |
| title_short | From Colors to Spectra and Back Again: First Near-IR Spectroscopic Survey of Neptunian Trojans |
| title_sort | from colors to spectra and back again first near ir spectroscopic survey of neptunian trojans |
| topic | Neptune trojans Infrared spectroscopy Multi-color photometry |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/addecd |
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