Abstract
Abstract Knowledge of water in the solar system is important for the understanding of a wide range of evolutionary processes and the thermal history of the solar system. To explore the existence of water in the solar system, it is indispensable to investigate hydrated minerals and/or water ice on asteroids. These water-related materials show absorption features in the 3 μm band (wavelengths from 2.7 to 3.1 μm). We conducted a spectroscopic survey of asteroids in the 3 μm band using the Infrared Camera (IRC) on board the Japanese infrared satellite AKARI. In the warm mission period of AKARI, 147 pointed observations were performed for 66 asteroids in the grism mode for wavelengths from 2.5 to 5 μm. According to these observations, most C-complex asteroids have clear absorption features (>10% with respect to the continuum) related to hydrated minerals at a peak wavelength of approximately 2.75 μm, while S-complex asteroids have no significant features in this wavelength range. The present data are released to the public as the Asteroid Catalog using AKARI Spectroscopic Observations (AcuA-spec).
Highlights
Water is found in various forms in our solar system and is one of the most important ingredients in the origin of life.It has vital implications for the exploration of extrasolar planets and provides evidence for the evolution of the solar system, especially its thermal history
Because hydrated minerals are stable even above the sublimation temperature of water ice, they become an important tracer of water present in the history of the solar system, unless they were reset by a temperature change after formation
We report a spectroscopic survey of asteroids using the Infrared Camera (IRC) on board AKARI
Summary
Water is found in various forms in our solar system and is one of the most important ingredients in the origin of life. It has vital implications for the exploration of extrasolar planets and provides evidence for the evolution of the solar system, especially its thermal history. Silicate minerals account for a large fraction of solid materials in the solar system and water exists as ice in small solar system bodies beyond Jupiter. Because hydrated minerals are stable even above the sublimation temperature of water ice, they become an important tracer of water present in the history of the solar system, unless they were reset by a temperature change after formation.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
