http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.12436
All known Small Solar System Bodies have diameters between a few meters and a few thousands of kilometers. Based on the collisional evolution of Solar System Bodies, a larger number of asteroids with diameters down to $\sim 2$ m is thought to exist. As all Solar System Bodies, Small Bodies can be passive sources of high-energy gamma rays, produced by the interaction of energetic cosmic rays impinging on their surfaces. Since the majority of known asteroids are in orbits between Mars and Jupiter (in a region known as the Main Belt), we expect them to produce a diffuse emission close to the ecliptic plane. In this work we have studied the gamma-ray emission coming from the ecliptic using the data collected by the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite. We have fit the results with simulations of the gamma-ray intensity at source level (calculated with the software FLUKA) to constrain the Small Solar System Bodies population. Finally, we have proposed a model describing the distribution of asteroid sizes and we have used the LAT data to constrain the gamma-ray emission expected from this model and, in turn, on the model itself.
S. Gaetano, L. Venere, F. Gargano, et. al.
Tue, 23 May 23
77/77
Comments: 21 pages, 18 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ;