Space weathering acts strongly on the uppermost surface of Ryugu

Matsuoka, Moe*; Kagawa, Eiichi*; Amano, Kana*; Nakamura, Tomoki*; Tatsumi, Eri*; Osawa, Takahito  ; 51 of others*

Visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectra of returned samples from Cb-type asteroid (162173) Ryugu exhibit very low reflectance values and absorptions that are generally consistent with observations from the Hayabusa2 ONC-T and NIRS3 instruments. A notable difference is that a metal-OH absorption at 2.72 misrometer is more than twice as deep in laboratory sample spectra compared with those of Ryugu's surface. Based on the laboratory experiments to investigate the range of spectral variation by physical properties and space weathering, we conclude that the spectral differences between returned samples and asteroid surface are best explained by a combination of (1) porosity, (2) particle size, and (3) degree of space weathering effects, with the latter being the most effective. Those effects can explain spectral variations between Cb-type asteroids, suggesting that these asteroids consist of the same CI-chondrite material with different physical properties and weathering degrees. Extremely homogeneous Vis-NIR spectra of the entire Ryugu surface in comparison with the heterogeneous spectra of a near-Earth S-type asteroid (25143) Itokawa indicate that the space weathering has been processing more rapidly on Cb-type asteroids compared with S-type asteroids. Because the major component of Cb-type asteroids are porous hydrous silicates that have lower melting temperature and lower material strength than anhydrous silicates, the surface of Cb-type asteroids are more susceptible to the alteration by impacts of interplanetary dust particles.