Revising the age for the baptistina asteroid family using wise/neowise data

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. © 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.