Photometric characterization of near-Earth asteroids: rotation, taxonomy, and candidate evidence for internal cohesion

Abstract

We present the results of a survey of previously uncharacterized near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) conducted between the second half of 2024 and the first months of 2026 using broadband $BVR_{c} I_{c}$ photometry and time-resolved lightcurve observations. Color indices were obtained for 14 NEAs of the 15 observed, with a dimension range between 0.11 and 2.5 km, and used to derive taxonomic classifications through comparison of a sample of reference reflectance curves. The sample appears to be dominated by S-, X-, and C-complex and V-type asteroids; absolute magnitudes and effective diameters were estimated using taxonomically appropriate albedos. Rotation periods were determined or constrained for several targets. Some large objects appear to rotate faster than the classical cohesionless spin barrier at $P\simeq 2.2$~h, although in some cases the period determinations remain tentative due to limited temporal coverage. A cohesive rubble-pile model provides a plausible explanation for the observed rapid rotation within the uncertainties of the derived physical parameters, and modest cohesive strengths of order $10^{2}$--$10^{4}$~Pa are sufficient to account for the observed rotation rates.