Brightness variation distributions among main belt asteroids from sparse light-curve sampling with Pan-STARRS 1

The rotational state of asteroids is controlled by various physical mechanisms including collisions, internal damping and the Yarkovsky–O'Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack effect. We have analysed the changes in magnitude between consecutive detections of ∼60 000 asteroids measured by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS) 1 survey during its first 18 months of operations. We have attempted to explain the derived brightness changes physically and through the application of a simple model. We have found a tendency towards smaller magnitude variations with decreasing diameter for objects of 1 < D < 8 km. Assuming the shape distribution of objects in this size range to be independent of size and composition our model suggests a population with average axial ratios 1 : 0.85 ± 0.13 : 0.71 ± 0.13, with larger objects more likely to have spin axes perpendicular to the orbital plane.