Search for Activity in 3200 Phaethon

Abstract

We present deep optical imaging of Geminid meteor stream parent 3200 Phaethon taken in search of low-level cometary activity (i.e., coma or dust trail). Although no unambiguous cometary behavior was observed, we find an upper limit on the object's cometary mass-loss rate of M˙lim~0.01 kg s-1. The corresponding active fraction (the fraction of the surface area that could consist of freely sublimating water ice) is f