  The apparent magnitude of elongated small bodies is time-dependent over their
rotation phase. Therefore, previously undiscovered aspherical minor planets may
experience a shape-driven selection effect in systematic surveys versus their
spherical counterparts. In this study, we conduct injection-recovery exercises
of synthetic asteroid lightcurves using a simple model to quantify the effect
of varying axial ratio on detection efficiencies. We find that high-amplitude
lightcurves are confronted with adverse selection effects for survey cadences
and discovery thresholds for constructing tracklets that are representative of
modern and proposed future NEO searches. Furthermore, we illustrate the
possible hazards of drawing population-level inferences on an underlying
reservoir of elongated small bodies. If physical size and characteristic axial
ratios are correlated, then size-frequency distributions may require revision
at small diameters. In particular, this effect could alter the estimated
populations of near-Earth objects. We conclude by discussing the applicability
of our results to various other classes of solar system minor planets and
interstellar interlopers, as well as discuss future work that may further
interrogate this detection bias.
