Inversion of sparse photometric data of asteroids using triaxial ellipsoid shape models and a Lommel-Seeliger scattering law

The inversion of sparse photometric data of asteroids to derive from them information about the spin and shape properties of the objects is a hot topic in the era of the Gaia space mission. We have used a rigorous analytical treatment of the Lommel-Seeliger light-scattering law computed for the particular case of bodies having the shapes of ideal triaxial ellipsoids, and we have implemented this in the software developed for the treatment of Gaia photometric data for asteroids. In a set of numerical simulations, the performances of the photometry inversion code improve significantly with respect to the case in which purely geometric scattering is taken into account. When applied to real photometric data of asteroids obtained in the past by the Hipparcos satellite, however, we do not see any relevant improvement of the performances, due to the poor accuracy of these measurements. These results suggest that the role played by the light-scattering properties of asteroid surfaces is indeed relevant. On the other hand, any refined treatment of light-scattering effects cannot improve the reliability of photometric inversion when the quantity and quality of available data are much worse than what we expect to obtain from Gaia. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.