J. McCormick

Microlens OGLE-2005-BLG-169 Implies That Cool Neptune-like Planets Are Common

We detect a Neptune mass ratio (q 8 ? 10-5) planetary companion to the lens star in the extremely high magnification (A ~ 800) microlensing event OGLE-2005-BLG-169. If the parent is a main-sequence star, it has mass M ~ 0.5 M?, implying a planet mass of ~13 M? and projected separation of ~2.7 AU. When intensely monitored over their peak, high-magnification events similar to OGLE-2005-BLG-169 have nearly complete sensitivity to Neptune mass ratio planets with projected separations of 0.6-1.6 Einstein radii, corresponding to 1.6-4.3 AU in the present case. Only two other such events were monitored well enough to detect Neptunes, and so this detection by itself suggests that Neptune mass ratio planets are common. Moreover, another Neptune was recently discovered at a similar distance from its parent star in a low-magnification event, which are more common but are individually much less sensitive to planets. Combining the two detections yields 90% upper and lower frequency limits f = 0.38 over just 0.4 decades of planet-star separation. In particular, f > 16% at 90% confidence. The parent star hosts no Jupiter-mass companions with projected separations within a factor 5 of that of the detected planet. The lens-source relative proper motion is ? ~ 7-10 mas yr-1, implying that if the lens is sufficiently bright, I 23.8, it will be detectable by the Hubble Space Telescope by 3 years after peak. This would permit a more precise estimate of the lens mass and distance and, so, the mass and projected separation of the planet. Analogs of OGLE-2005-BLG-169Lb orbiting nearby stars would be difficult to detect by other methods of planet detection, including radial velocities, transits, and astrometry.

A jovian-mass planet in microlensing event OGLE-2005-BLG-071

We report the discovery of a several-Jupiter mass planetary companion to the primary lens star in microlensing event OGLE-2005-BLG-071. Precise (<1%) photometry at the peak of the event yields an extremely high signal-to-noise ratio detection of a deviation from the light curve expected from an isolated lens. The planetary character of this deviation is easily and unambiguously discernible from the gross features of the light curve. Detailed modeling yields a tightly-constrained planet-star mass ratio of q=m_p/M=0.0071+/-0.0003. This is the second robust detection of a planet with microlensing, demonstrating that the technique itself is viable and that planets are not rare in the systems probed by microlensing, which typically lie several kpc toward the Galactic center.

MICROLENSING EVENT MOA-2007-BLG-400: EXHUMING THE BURIED SIGNATURE OF A COOL, JOVIAN-MASS PLANET

We report the detection of the cool, Jovian-mass planet MOA-2007-BLG-400Lb. The planet was detected in a high-magnification microlensing event (with peak magnification A max = 628) in which the primary lens transited the source, resulting in a dramatic smoothing of the peak of the event. The angular extent of the region of perturbation due to the planet is significantly smaller than the angular size of the source, and as a result the planetary signature is also smoothed out by the finite source size. Thus, the deviation from a single-lens fit is broad and relatively weak (approximately few percent). Nevertheless, we demonstrate that the planetary nature of the deviation can be unambiguously ascertained from the gross features of the residuals, and detailed analysis yields a fairly precise planet/star mass ratio of , in accord with the large significance () of the detection. The planet/star projected separation is subject to a strong close/wide degeneracy, leading to two indistinguishable solutions that differ in separation by a factor of ~8.5. Upper limits on flux from the lens constrain its mass to be M < 0.75 M ? (assuming that it is a main-sequence star). A Bayesian analysis that includes all available observational constraints indicates a primary in the Galactic bulge with a mass of ~0.2-0.5 M ? and thus a planet mass of ~0.5-1.3 M Jup. The separation and equilibrium temperature are ~5.3-9.7 AU (~0.6-1.1 AU) and ~34 K (~103 K) for the wide (close) solution. If the primary is a main-sequence star, follow-up observations would enable the detection of its light and so a measurement of its mass and distance.

Masses and Orbital Constraints for the OGLE-2006-BLG-109Lb,c Jupiter/Saturn Analog Planetary System

We present a new analysis of the Jupiter+Saturn analog system, OGLE-2006-BLG-109Lb,c, which was the first double planet system discovered with the gravitational microlensing method. This is the only multi-planet system discovered by any method with measured masses for the star and both planets. In addition to the signatures of two planets, this event also exhibits a microlensing parallax signature and finite source effects that provide a direct measure of the masses of the star and planets, and the expected brightness of the host star is confirmed by Keck AO imaging, yielding masses of , Mb = 231 ± 19 M ⊕, and Mc = 86 ± 7 M ⊕. The Saturn-analog planet in this system had a planetary light-curve deviation that lasted for 11 days, and as a result, the effects of the orbital motion are visible in the microlensing light curve. We find that four of the six orbital parameters are tightly constrained and that a fifth parameter, the orbital acceleration, is weakly constrained. No orbital information is available for the Jupiter-analog planet, but its presence helps to constrain the orbital motion of the Saturn-analog planet. Assuming co-planar orbits, we find an orbital eccentricity of and an orbital inclination of . The 95% confidence level lower limit on the inclination of i > 49° implies that this planetary system can be detected and studied via radial velocity measurements using a telescope of 30 m aperture.

MOA-2011-BLG-293Lb: A TEST OF PURE SURVEY MICROLENSING PLANET DETECTIONS

Mathematical and Physical Sciences: 1st Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)

The Extreme Microlensing Event OGLE-2007-BLG-224: Terrestrial Parallax Observation of a Thick-Disk Brown Dwarf

Parallax is the most fundamental technique for measuring distances to astronomical objects. Although terrestrial parallax was pioneered over 2000 years ago by Hipparchus (ca. 140 B.C.E.) to measure the distance to the Moon, the baseline of the Earth is so small that terrestrial parallax can generally only be applied to objects in the Solar System. However, there exists a class of extreme gravitational microlensing events in which the effects of terrestrial parallax can be readily detected and so permit the measurement of the distance, mass, and transverse velocity of the lens. Here we report observations of the first such extreme microlensing event OGLE-2007-BLG-224, from which we infer that the lens is a brown dwarf of mass M = 0.056 ± 0.004 M ☉, with a distance of 525 ± 40 pc and a transverse velocity of 113 ± 21 km s–1. The velocity places the lens in the thick disk, making this the lowest-mass thick-disk brown dwarf detected so far. Follow-up observations may allow one to observe the light from the brown dwarf itself, thus serving as an important constraint for evolutionary models of these objects and potentially opening a new window on substellar objects. The low a priori probability of detecting a thick-disk brown dwarf in this event, when combined with additional evidence from other observations, suggests that old substellar objects may be more common than previously assumed.

SUPERHUMPS IN CATACLYSMIC BINARIES. XXIV. TWENTY MORE DWARF NOVAE

We report precise measures of the orbital and superhump period in 20 more dwarf novae. For 10 stars, we report new and confirmed spectroscopic periods—signifying the orbital period —as well as the P o

THE SECOND MULTIPLE-PLANET SYSTEM DISCOVERED BY MICROLENSING: OGLE-2012-BLG-0026Lb, c-A PAIR OF JOVIAN PLANETS BEYOND THE SNOW LINE

We report the discovery of a planetary system from observation of the high-magnification microlensing event OGLE-2012-BLG-0026. The lensing light curve exhibits a complex central perturbation with multiple features. We find that the perturbation was produced by two planets located near the Einstein ring of the planet host star. We identify four possible solutions resulting from the well-known close/wide degeneracy. By measuring both the lens parallax and the Einstein radius, we estimate the physical parameters of the planetary system. According to the best-fit model, the two planet masses are ~0.11 M J and 0.68 M J and they are orbiting a G-type main-sequence star with a mass ~0.82 M ☉. The projected separations of the individual planets are beyond the snow line in all four solutions, being ~3.8 AU and 4.6 AU in the best-fit solution. The deprojected separations are both individually larger and possibly reversed in order. This is the second multi-planet system with both planets beyond the snow line discovered by microlensing. This is the only such system (other than the solar system) with measured planet masses without sin i degeneracy. The planetary system is located at a distance 4.1 kpc from the Earth toward the Galactic center. It is very likely that extra light from stars other than the lensed star comes from the lens itself. If this is correct, it will be possible to obtain detailed information about the planet host star from follow-up observation.

EXTREME MAGNIFICATION MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2008-BLG-279: STRONG LIMITS ON PLANETARY COMPANIONS TO THE LENS STAR

We analyze the extreme high-magnification microlensing event OGLE-2008-BLG-279, which peaked at a maximum magnification of A ~ 1600 on 2008 May 30. The peak of this event exhibits both finite-source effects and terrestrial parallax, from which we determine the mass of the lens, Ml = 0.64 ? 0.10 M ?, and its distance, Dl = 4.0 ? 0.6 kpc. We rule out Jupiter-mass planetary companions to the lens star for projected separations in the range 0.5-20 AU. More generally, we find that this event was sensitive to planets with masses as small as with projected separations near the Einstein ring (~3 AU).

A terrestrial planet in a ~1-AU orbit around one member of a ∼15-AU binary

Impolite planet ignores hosts partner Many known exoplanets (planets outside our own solar system) are hosted by binary systems that contain two stars. These planets normally circle around both of their stars. Using microlensing data taken with a worldwide network of telescopes, Gould et al. found a planet twice the mass of Earth that circles just one of a pair of stars. The same approach has the potential to uncover other similar star systems and help to illuminate some of the mysteries of planet formation. Science, this issue p. 46 Microlensing observations reveal an exoplanet twice the mass of Earth circling just one member of a binary system. Using gravitational microlensing, we detected a cold terrestrial planet orbiting one member of a binary star system. The planet has low mass (twice Earth’s) and lies projected at ~0.8 astronomical units (AU) from its host star, about the distance between Earth and the Sun. However, the planet’s temperature is much lower, <60 Kelvin, because the host star is only 0.10 to 0.15 solar masses and therefore more than 400 times less luminous than the Sun. The host itself orbits a slightly more massive companion with projected separation of 10 to 15 AU. This detection is consistent with such systems being very common. Straightforward modification of current microlensing search strategies could increase sensitivity to planets in binary systems. With more detections, such binary-star planetary systems could constrain models of planet formation and evolution.