Using the first 18 months of the Pan-STARRS 1 survey we have identified 33 candidate high-amplitude objects for follow-up observations and carried out observations of 22 asteroids. 4 of the observed objects were found to have observed amplitude Aobs≥1.0 mag. We find that these high amplitude objects are most simply explained by single rubble pile objects with some density-dependent internal strength, allowing them to resist mass shedding even at their highly elongated shapes. 3 further objects although below the cut-off for 'high-amplitude' had a combination of elongation and rotation period which also may require internal cohesive strength, depending on the density of the body. We find that none of the 'high-amplitude asteroids' identified here require any unusual cohesive strengths to resist rotational fission. 3 asteroids were sufficiently observed to allow for shape and spin pole models to be determined through light curve inversion. 45864 was determined to have retrograde rotation with spin pole axes λ=218±10∘,β=−82±5∘ and asteroid 206167 was found to have best fit spin pole axes λ=57±5∘, β=−67±5∘. An additional object not initially measured with Aobs>1.0 mag, 49257, was determined to have a shape model which does suggest a high-amplitude object. Its spin pole axes were best fit for values λ=112±6∘,β=6±5∘. In the course of this project to date no large super-fast rotators (Prot<2.2 h) have been identified.
@article{arxiv.1810.11668,
title = {Extreme asteroids in the Pan-STARRS 1 Survey},
author = {Andrew McNeill and Alan Fitzsimmons and Robert Jedicke and Pedro Lacerda and Eva Lilly and Andrew Thompson and David E. Trilling and Ernst DeMooij and Matthew J. Hooton and Christopher A. Watson},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1810.11668},
year = {2018}
}