Browsing by Author "Udalski A"

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    An analysis of binary microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0060
    (Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2019-08) Tsapras Y; Cassan A; Ranc C; Bachelet E; Street R; Udalski A; Hundertmark M; Bozza V; Beaulieu JP; Marquette JB; Euteneuer E; Bramich DM; Dominik M; Figuera Jaimes R; Horne K; Mao S; Menzies J; Schmidt R; Snodgrass C; Steele IA; Wambsganss J; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Soszyński I; Skowron J; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Poleski R; Ulaczyk K; Pawlak M; Jørgensen UG; Skottfelt J; Popovas A; Ciceri S; Korhonen H; Kuffmeier M; Evans DF; Peixinho N; Hinse TC; Burgdorf MJ; Southworth J; Tronsgaard R; Kerins E; Andersen MI; Rahvar S; Wang Y; Wertz O; Rabus M; Calchi Novati S; D'Ago G; Scarpetta G; Mancini L; Abe F; Asakura Y; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Donachie M; Evans P; Fukui A; Hirao Y; Itow Y; Kawasaki K; Koshimoto N; Li MCA; Ling CH; Masuda K; Matsubara Y; Muraki Y; Miyazaki S; Nagakane M; Ohnishi K; Rattenbury N; Saito T; Sharan A; Shibai H; Sullivan DJ; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tristram PJ; Yamada T; Yonehara A; The RoboNet team; The OGLE collaboration; The MiNDSTEp collaboration; The MOA collaboration
    We present the analysis of stellar binary microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0060 based on observations obtained from 13 different telescopes. Intensive coverage of the anomalous parts of the light curve was achieved by automated follow-up observations from the robotic telescopes of the Las Cumbres Observatory. We show that, for the first time, all main features of an anomalous microlensing event are well covered by follow-up data, allowing us to estimate the physical parameters of the lens. The strong detection of second-order effects in the event light curve necessitates the inclusion of longer-baseline survey data in order to constrain the parallax vector. We find that the event was most likely caused by a stellar binary-lens with masses M = 0.87 pm 0.12 mathrm{M} and M = 0.77 pm 0.11 mathrm{M}. The distance to the lensing system is 6.41 ± 0.14 kpc and the projected separation between the two components is 13.85 ± 0.16 au. Alternative interpretations are also considered.
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    An Isolated Mass-gap Black Hole or Neutron Star Detected with Astrometric Microlensing
    (IOP Publishing, 2022-07-06) Lam CY; Lu JR; Udalski A; Bond I; Bennett DP; Skowron J; Mróz P; Poleski R; Sumi T; Szymański MK; Kozłowski S; Pietrukowicz P; Soszyński I; Ulaczyk K; Wyrzykowski Ł; Miyazaki S; Suzuki D; Koshimoto N; Rattenbury NJ; Hosek Jr MW; Abe F; Barry R; Bhattacharya A; Fukui A; Fujii H; Hirao Y; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Kondo I; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Okamura A; Satoh Y; Silva SI; Toda T; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Abrams NS; Agarwal S; Rose S; Terry SK
    We present the analysis of five black hole candidates identified from gravitational microlensing surveys. Hubble Space Telescope astrometric data and densely sampled light curves from ground-based microlensing surveys are fit with a single-source, single-lens microlensing model in order to measure the mass and luminosity of each lens and determine if it is a black hole. One of the five targets (OGLE-2011-BLG-0462/MOA-2011-BLG-191 or OB110462 for short) shows a significant >1 mas coherent astrometric shift, little to no lens flux, and has an inferred lens mass of 1.6-4.4 M . This makes OB110462 the first definitive discovery of a compact object through astrometric microlensing and it is most likely either a neutron star or a low-mass black hole. This compact-object lens is relatively nearby (0.70-1.92 kpc) and has a slow transverse motion of 30 km s-1. OB110462 shows significant tension between models well fit to photometry versus astrometry, making it currently difficult to distinguish between a neutron star and a black hole. Additional observations and modeling with more complex system geometries, such as binary sources, are needed to resolve the puzzling nature of this object. For the remaining four candidates, the lens masses are 2M , and they are unlikely to be black holes two of the four are likely white dwarfs or neutron stars. We compare the full sample of five candidates to theoretical expectations on the number of black holes in the Milky Way (1/4108) and find reasonable agreement given the small sample size.
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    An Isolated Stellar-mass Black Hole Detected through Astrometric Microlensing
    (IOP Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society, 2022-07-06) Sahu KC; Anderson J; Casertano S; Bond HE; Udalski A; Dominik M; Calamida A; Bellini A; Brown TM; Rejkuba M; Bajaj V; Kains N; Ferguson HC; Fryer CL; Yock P; Mróz P; Kozłowski S; Pietrukowicz P; Poleski R; Skowron J; Soszyński I; Szymański MK; Ulaczyk K; Wyrzykowski Ł; Barry RK; Bennett DP; Bond IA; Hirao Y; Silva SI; Kondo I; Koshimoto N; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Beaulieu J-P; Marquette J-B; Cole A; Fouqué P; Hill K; Dieters S; Coutures C; Dominis-Prester D; Bennett C; Bachelet E; Menzies J; Albrow M; Pollard K; Gould A; Yee JC; Allen W; Almeida LA; Christie G; Drummond J; Gal-Yam A; Gorbikov E; Jablonski F; Lee C-U; Maoz D; Manulis I; McCormick J; Natusch T; Pogge RW; Shvartzvald Y; Jørgensen UG; Alsubai KA; Andersen MI; Bozza V; Novati SC; Burgdorf M; Hinse TC; Hundertmark M; Husser T-O; Kerins E; Longa-Peña P; Mancini L; Penny M; Rahvar S; Ricci D; Sajadian S; Skottfelt J; Snodgrass C; Southworth J; Tregloan-Reed J; Wambsganss J; Wertz O; Tsapras Y; Street RA; Bramich DM; Horne K; Steele IA
    We report the first unambiguous detection and mass measurement of an isolated stellar-mass black hole (BH). We used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to carry out precise astrometry of the source star of the long-duration (t E ≃ 270 days), high-magnification microlensing event MOA-2011-BLG-191/OGLE-2011-BLG-0462 (hereafter designated as MOA-11-191/OGLE-11-462), in the direction of the Galactic bulge. HST imaging, conducted at eight epochs over an interval of 6 yr, reveals a clear relativistic astrometric deflection of the background star's apparent position. Ground-based photometry of MOA-11-191/OGLE-11-462 shows a parallactic signature of the effect of Earth's motion on the microlensing light curve. Combining the HST astrometry with the ground-based light curve and the derived parallax, we obtain a lens mass of 7.1 ± 1.3 M ⊙ and a distance of 1.58 ± 0.18 kpc. We show that the lens emits no detectable light, which, along with having a mass higher than is possible for a white dwarf or neutron star, confirms its BH nature. Our analysis also provides an absolute proper motion for the BH. The proper motion is offset from the mean motion of Galactic disk stars at similar distances by an amount corresponding to a transverse space velocity of �1/445 km s-1, suggesting that the BH received a "natal kick"from its supernova explosion. Previous mass determinations for stellar-mass BHs have come from radial velocity measurements of Galactic X-ray binaries and from gravitational radiation emitted by merging BHs in binary systems in external galaxies. Our mass measurement is the first for an isolated stellar-mass BH using any technique.
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    Analyses of anomalous lensing events detected from the UKIRT microlensing survey
    (EDP Sciences, 2025-04-14) Han C; Zang W; Udalski A; Lee C-U; Bond IA; Wen Y; Ma B; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Gould A; Hwang K-H; Jung YK; Ryu Y-H; Shvartzvald Y; Shin I-G; Yang H; Yee JC; Kim D; Kim D-J; Cha S-M; Kim S-L; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Ulaczyk K; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Mróz MJ; Abe F; Bando K; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Terry SK; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H
    Aims. The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) microlensing survey was conducted over four years, from 2016 to 2019, with the goal of serving as a precursor to future near-infrared microlensing surveys. Focusing on stars in the Galactic center and utilizing near-infrared passbands, the survey identified approximately one thousand microlensing events, 27 of which displayed anomalies in their light curves. This paper presents an analysis of these anomalous events, aiming to uncover the underlying causes of the observed anomalies. Methods. The events were analyzed under various configurations, considering the potential binarity of both the lens and the source. For 11 events that were additionally observed by other optical microlensing surveys, including those conducted by the OGLE, KMTNet, and MOA collaborations, we incorporated their data into our analysis. Results. Among the reported anomalous events, we revealed the nature of 24 events except for three events, in which one was likely to be a transient variable, and two were difficult to accurately characterize their nature due to the limitations of the available data. We confirmed the binary lens nature of the anomalies in 22 events. Among these, we verified the earlier discovery that the companion in the binary lens system UKIRT11L is a planetary object. Accurately describing the anomaly in UKIRT21 required a model that accounted for the binarity of both the lens and the source. For two events UKIRT01 and UKIRT17, the anomalies could be interpreted using either a binary-source or a binary-lens model. For the UKIRT05, it was found that accounting for higher-order effects induced by the orbit al motions of both Earth and the binary lens was crucial. With the measured microlensing parallax togeter with the angular Einstein radius, the component masses of the UKIRT05 binary lens were determined to be M1 = (1.05 ± 0.20) M⊙, M2 = (0.36 ± 0.07) M⊙, and the distance to the lens was found to be DL = (3.11 ± 0.40) kpc.
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    Analysis of the Full Spitzer Microlensing Sample. I. Dark Remnant Candidates and Gaia Predictions
    (American Astronomical Society, 2024-11-10) Rybicki KA; Shvartzvald Y; Yee JC; Novati SC; Ofek EO; Bond IA; Beichman C; Bryden G; Carey S; Henderson C; Zhu W; Fausnaugh MM; Wibking B; Udalski A; Poleski R; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Skowron J; Ulaczyk K; Iwanek P; Wrona M; Ryu Y-H; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Gould A; Han C-H; Hwang K-H; Jung YK; Shin I-G; Yang H; Zang W; Cha S-M; Kim D-J; Kim H-W; Kim S-L; Lee C-U; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Abe F; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh YK; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Wyrzykowski Ł; Howil K; Kruszyńska K
    In the pursuit of understanding the population of stellar remnants within the Milky Way, we analyze the sample of ∼950 microlensing events observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope between 2014 and 2019. In this study we focus on a subsample of nine microlensing events, selected based on their long timescales, small microlensing parallaxes, and joint observations by the Gaia mission, to increase the probability that the chosen lenses are massive and the mass is measurable. Among the selected events we identify lensing black holes and neutron star candidates, with potential confirmation through forthcoming release of the Gaia time-series astrometry in 2026. Utilizing Bayesian analysis and Galactic models, along with the Gaia Data Release 3 proper-motion data, four good candidates for dark remnants were identified: OGLE-2016-BLG-0293, OGLE-2018-BLG-0483, OGLE-2018-BLG-0662, and OGLE-2015-BLG-0149, with lens masses of 3.0-1.3+1.8M☉, 4.7-2.1+3.2 M☉, 3.15-0.64+0..66 M☉ and 1.40-0.55+0.75 M☉, respectively. Notably, the first two candidates are expected to exhibit astrometric microlensing signals detectable by Gaia, offering the prospect of validating the lens masses. The methodologies developed in this work will be applied to the full Spitzer microlensing sample, populating and analyzing the timescale (tE) versus parallax (πE) diagram to derive constraints on the population of lenses in general and massive remnants in particular.
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    Brown dwarf companions in microlensing binaries detected during the 2016-2018 seasons
    (EDP Sciences on behalf of the European Southern Observatory, 2022-11-08) Han C; Ryu Y-H; Shin I-G; Jung YK; Kim D; Hirao Y; Bozza V; Albrow MD; Zang W; Udalski A; Bond IA; Chung S-J; Gould A; Hwang K-H; Shvartzvald Y; Yang H; Cha S-M; Kim D-J; Kim H-W; Kim S-L; Lee C-U; Lee D-J; Yee JC; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Ulaczyk K; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Wrona M; Abe F; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Silva SI; Kirikawa R; Kondo I; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Okamura A; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Toda T; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Itow Y
    Aims. With the aim of finding microlensing binaries containing brown dwarf (BD) companions, we investigate the microlensing survey data collected during the 2016 2018 seasons. Methods. For this purpose, we first modeled lensing events with light curves exhibiting anomaly features that are likely to be produced by binary lenses. We then sorted out BD companion binary-lens events by applying the criterion that the companion-to-primary mass ratio is q 0.1. With this procedure, we identify six binaries with candidate BD companions: OGLE-2016-BLG-0890L, MOA-2017-BLG-477L, OGLE-2017-BLG-0614L, KMT-2018-BLG-0357L, OGLE-2018-BLG-1489L, and OGLE-2018-BLG-0360L. Results. We estimated the masses of the binary companions by conducting Bayesian analyses using the observables of the individual lensing events. According to the Bayesian estimation of the lens masses, the probabilities for the lens companions of the events OGLE-2016-BLG-0890, OGLE-2017-BLG-0614, OGLE-2018-BLG-1489, and OGLE-2018-BLG-0360 to be in the BD mass regime are very high with PBD > 80%. For MOA-2017-BLG-477 and KMT-2018-BLG-0357, the probabilities are relatively low with PBD = 61% and 69%, respectively.
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    Dark lens candidates from Gaia Data Release 3
    (EDP Sciences, France, for The European Southern Observatory, 2024-12) Kruszyńska K; Wyrzykowski L; Rybicki KA; Howil K; Jablońska M; Kaczmarek Z; Ihanec N; Maskoliūnas M; Bronikowski M; Pylypenko U; Udalski A; Mróz P; Poleski R; Skowron J; Szymański MK; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozlowski S; Ulaczyk K; Iwanek P; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Mróz MJ; Abe F; Bando K; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Bond IA; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H
    Gravitational microlensing is a phenomenon that allows us to observe the dark remnants of stellar evolution, even if these bodies are no longer emitting electromagnetic radiation. In particular, it can be useful to observe solitary neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes, providing a unique window through which to understand stellar evolution. Obtaining direct mass measurements with this technique requires precise observations of both the change in brightness and the position of the microlensed star. The European Space Agency's Gaia satellite can provide both. Using publicly available data from different surveys, we analysed events published in the Gaia Data Release 3 (Gaia DR3) microlensing catalogue. Here, we describe our selection of candidate dark lenses, where we suspect the lens is a white dwarf (WD), a neutron star (NS), a black hole (BH), or a mass-gap object, with a mass in the range between the heaviest NS and the least massive BH. We estimated the mass of the lenses using information obtained from the best-fitting microlensing models, source star, Galactic model, and the expected parameter distributions. We found eleven candidates for dark remnants: one WDs, three NSs, three mass-gap objects, and four BHs.
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    Four sub-Jovian-mass planets detected by high-cadence microlensing surveys
    (EDP Sciences on behalf of the European Southern Observatory, 2022-08-05) Han C; Kim D; Gould A; Udalski A; Bond IA; Bozza V; Jung YK; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Hwang K-H; Ryu Y-H; Shin I-G; Shvartzvald Y; Yee JC; Zang W; Cha S-M; Kim D-J; Kim S-L; Lee C-U; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozaowski S; Ulaczyk K; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Abe F; Barry RK; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hirao Y; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Koshimoto N; Kondo I; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Okamura A; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Silva SI; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Toda T; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H
    Aims. With the aim of finding short-term planetary signals, we investigated the data collected from current high-cadence microlensing surveys. Methods. From this investigation, we found four planetary systems with low planet-to-host mass ratios, including OGLE-2017-BLG-1691L, KMT-2021-BLG-0320L, KMT-2021-BLG-1303L, and KMT-2021-BLG-1554L. Despite the short durations, ranging from a few hours to a couple of days, the planetary signals were clearly detected by the combined data of the lensing surveys. We found that three of the planetary systems have mass ratios on the order of 10-4 and the other has a mass ratio that is slightly greater than 10-3. Results. The estimated masses indicate that all discovered planets have sub-Jovian masses. The planet masses of KMT-2021-BLG-0320Lb, KMT-2021-BLG-1303Lb, and KMT-2021-BLG-1554Lb correspond to ∼0.10, ∼0.38, and ∼0.12 times the mass of the Jupiter, and the mass of OGLE-2017-BLG-1691Lb corresponds to that of the Uranus. The estimated mass of the planet host KMT-2021-BLG-1554L, Mhost ∼ 0.08 M⊙, corresponds to the boundary between a star and a brown dwarf. Besides this system, the host stars of the other planetary systems are low-mass stars with masses in the range of ∼[0.3-0.6] M⊙. The discoveries of the planets fully demonstrate the capability of the current high-cadence microlensing surveys in detecting low-mass planets.
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    Kepler K2 Campaign 9 – II. First space-based discovery of an exoplanet using microlensing
    (Oxford University Press, 2023-04-01) Specht D; Poleski R; Penny MT; Kerins E; McDonald I; Chung-Uk L; Udalski A; Bond IA; Shvartzvald Y; Zang W; Street RA; Hogg DW; Gaudi BS; Barclay T; Barentsen G; Howell SB; Mullally F; Henderson CB; Bryson ST; Caldwell DA; Haas MR; Van Cleve JE; Larson K; McCalmont K; Peterson C; Putnam D; Ross S; Packard M; Reedy L; Albrow MD; Sun-Ju C; Jung YK; Gould A; Han C; Kyu-Ha H; Yoon-Hyun R; In-Gu S; Yang H; Yee JC; Sang-Mok C; Dong-Jin K; Seung-Lee K; Dong-Joo L; Lee Y; Byeong-Gon P; Pogge RW; Szymański MK; Soszyński I; Ulaczyk K; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski SZ; Skowron J; Mróz P; Mao S; Fouqué P; Zhu W; Abe F; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fukui A; Fujii H; Hirao Y; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Kondo I; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Okamura A; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Silva SI; Toda T; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Beichman C; Bryden G; Novati SC
    We present K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb, a densely sampled, planetary binary caustic-crossing microlensing event found from a blind search of data gathered from Campaign 9 of the Kepler K2 mission (K2C9). K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb is the first bound microlensing exoplanet discovered from space-based data. The event has caustic entry and exit points that are resolved in the K2C9 data, enabling the lens-source relative proper motion to be measured. We have fitted a binary microlens model to the Kepler data and to simultaneous observations from multiple ground-based surveys. Whilst the ground-based data only sparsely sample the binary caustic, they provide a clear detection of parallax that allows us to break completely the microlensing mass-position-velocity degeneracy and measure the planet’s mass directly. We find a host mass of 0.58 ± 0.04 M and a planetary mass of 1.1 ± 0.1 MJ. The system lies at a distance of 5.2 ± 0.2 kpc from Earth towards the Galactic bulge, more than twice the distance of the previous most distant planet found by Kepler. The sky-projected separation of the planet from its host is found to be 4.2 ± 0.3 au which, for circular orbits, deprojects to a host separation a = 4.4+−0149 au and orbital period P = 13+−29 yr. This makes K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb a close Jupiter analogue orbiting a low-mass host star. According to current planet formation models, this system is very close to the host mass threshold below which Jupiters are not expected to form. Upcoming space-based exoplanet microlensing surveys by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and, possibly, ESA’s Euclid mission, will provide demanding tests of current planet formation models.
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    KMT-2019-BLG-1715: Planetary microlensing event with three lens masses and two source stars
    (IOP Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society, 2021-06-01) Han C; Udalski A; Kim D; Jung YK; Lee C-U; Bond IA; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Gould A; Hwang K-H; Kim H-W; Ryu Y-H; Shin I-G; Shvartzvald Y; Zang W; Yee JC; Cha S-M; Kim D-J; Kim S-L; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Kim C-H; Kim W-T; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Ulaczyk K; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Abe F; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Donachie M; Fujii H; Fukui A; Itow Y; Hirao Y; Kirikawa R; Kondo I; Li MCA; Matsubara Y; Muraki Y; Miyazaki S; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Shoji H; Suematsu H; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tanaka Y; Tristram PJ; Yamakawa T; Yamawaki T; Yonehara A
    We investigate the gravitational microlensing event KMT-2019-BLG-1715, the light curve of which shows two short-term anomalies from a caustic-crossing binary-lensing light curve: one with a large deviation and the other with a small deviation. We identify five pairs of solutions, in which the anomalies are explained by adding an extra lens or source component in addition to the base binary-lens model. We resolve the degeneracies by applying a method in which the measured flux ratio between the first and second source stars is compared with the flux ratio deduced from the ratio of the source radii. Applying this method leaves a single pair of viable solutions, in both of which the major anomaly is generated by a planetary-mass third body of the lens, and the minor anomaly is generated by a faint second source. A Bayesian analysis indicates that the lens comprises three masses: a planet-mass object with ∼2.6 MJ and binary stars of K and M dwarfs lying in the galactic disk. We point out the possibility that the lens is the blend, and this can be verified by conducting high-resolution follow-up imaging for the resolution of the lens from the source.
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    KMT-2021-BLG-0284, KMT-2022-BLG-2480, and KMT-2024-BLG-0412: Three microlensing events involving two lens masses and two source stars
    (EDP Sciences for The European Southern Observatory, 2024-12) Han C; Udalski A; Bond IA; Lee C-U; Gould A; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Hwang K-H; Jung YK; Ryu Y-H; Shvartzvald Y; Shin I-G; Yee JC; Yang H; Zang W; Cha S-M; Kim D; Kim D-J; Kim S-L; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Mróz P; Szymanski MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszynski I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Ulaczyk K; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Mróz MJ; Abe F; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tomoyoshi M; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Yamashita K
    Aims. We carried out a project involving the systematic analysis of microlensing data from the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network survey. The aim of this project is to identify lensing events with complex anomaly features that are difficult to explain using standard binary-lens or binary-source models. Methods. Our investigation reveals that the light curves of microlensing events KMT-2021-BLG-0284, KMT-2022-BLG-2480, and KMT-2024BLG-0412 display highly complex patterns with three or more anomaly features. These features cannot be adequately explained by a binary-lens (2L1S) model alone. However, the 2L1S model can effectively describe certain segments of the light curve. By incorporating an additional source into the modeling, we identified a comprehensive model that accounts for all the observed anomaly features. Results. Bayesian analysis, based on constraints provided by lensing observables, indicates that the lenses of KMT-2021-BLG-0284 and KMT-2024-BLG-0412 are binary systems composed of M dwarfs. For KMT-2022-BLG-2480, the primary lens is an early K-type main-sequence star with an M dwarf companion. The lenses of KMT-2021-BLG-0284 and KMT-2024-BLG-0412 are likely located in the bulge, whereas the lens of KMT-2022-BLG-2480 is more likely situated in the disk. In all events, the binary stars of the sources have similar magnitudes due to a detection bias favoring binary source events with a relatively bright secondary source star, which increases detection efficiency.
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    KMT-2023-BLG-1866Lb: Microlensing super-Earth around an M dwarf host
    (EDP Sciences for The European Southern Observatory, 2024-07) Han C; Bond IA; Udalski A; Lee C-U; Gould A; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Hwang K-H; Jung YK; Ryu Y-H; Shvartzvald Y; Shin I-G; Yee JC; Yang H; Zang W; Cha S-M; Kim D; Kim D-J; Kim S-L; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Abe F; Bando K; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tomoyoshi M; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Yamashita K; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski RA; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Ulaczyk K; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Mróz MJ
    Aims. We aim to investigate the nature of the short-term anomaly that appears in the lensing light curve of KMT-2023-BLG-1866. The anomaly was only partly covered due to its short duration of less than a day, coupled with cloudy weather conditions and a restricted nighttime duration. Methods. Considering the intricacy of interpreting partially covered signals, we thoroughly explored all potential degenerate solutions. Through this process, we identified three planetary scenarios that account for the observed anomaly equally well. These scenarios are characterized by the specific planetary parameters: (s, q)inner = [0.9740 ± 0.0083, (2.46 ± 1.07) × 10-5], (s, q)intermediate = [0.9779 ± 0.0017, (1.56 ± 0.25) × 10-5], and (s, q)outer = [0.9894 ± 0.0107, (2.31 ± 1.29) × 10-5], where s and q denote the projected separation (scaled to the Einstein radius) and mass ratio between the planet and its host, respectively. We identify that the ambiguity between the inner and outer solutions stems from the inner-outer degeneracy, while the similarity between the intermediate solution and the others is due to an accidental degeneracy caused by incomplete anomaly coverage. Results. Through Bayesian analysis utilizing the constraints derived from measured lensing observables and blending flux, our estimation indicates that the lens system comprises a very-low-mass planet orbiting an early M-type star situated approximately (6.2-6.5) kpc from Earth in terms of median posterior values for the different solutions. The median mass of the planet host is in the range of (0.48-0.51) M⊙, and that of the planet's mass spans a range of (2.6-4.0) ME, varying across different solutions. The detection of KMT-2023-BLG-1866Lb signifies the extension of the lensing surveys to very-low-mass planets that have been difficult to detect in earlier surveys.
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    Microlensing brown-dwarf companions in binaries detected during the 2022 and 2023 seasons
    (EDP Sciences for The European Southern Observatory, 2024-11) Han C; Bond IA; Udalski A; Lee C-U; Gould A; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Hwang K-H; Jung YK; Ryu Y-H; Shvartzvald Y; Shin I-G; Yee JC; Yang H; Zang W; Cha S-M; Kim D; Kim D-J; Kim S-L; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Abe F; Bando K; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Tomoyoshi M; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Yamashita K; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozlowski S; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Ulaczyk K; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Mróz MJ
    Aims. Building on previous works to construct a homogeneous sample of brown dwarfs in binary systems, we investigate microlensing events detected by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) survey during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Methods. Given the difficulty in distinguishing brown-dwarf events from those produced by binary lenses with nearly equal-mass components, we analyze all lensing events detected during the seasons that exhibit anomalies characteristic of binary-lens systems. Results. Using the same criteria consistently applied in previous studies, we identify six additional brown dwarf candidates through the analysis of lensing events KMT-2022-BLG-0412, KMT-2022-BLG-2286, KMT-2023-BLG-0201, KMT-2023-BLG-0601, KMT-2023-BLG-1684, and KMT-2023-BLG-1743. An examination of the mass posteriors shows that the median mass of the lens companions ranges from 0.02 M⊙ to 0.05 M⊙, indicating that these companions fall within the brown-dwarf mass range. The mass of the primary lenses ranges from 0.11 M⊙ to 0.68 M⊙, indicating that they are low-mass stars with substantially lower masses compared to the Sun.
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    MOA-2022-BLG-091Lb and KMT-2024-BLG-1209Lb: Microlensing planets detected through weak caustic-crossing signals
    (EDP Sciences, 2025-07-01) Han C; Lee C-U; Udalski A; Bond IA; Yang H; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Gould A; Jung YK; Hwang K-H; Ryu Y-H; Shvartzvald Y; Shin I-G; Yee JC; Zang W; Inyanya T; Cha S-M; Kim D; Kim D-J; Kim S-L; Lee D-J; Lee Y; Park B-G; Pogge RW; Mróz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Ulaczyk K; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Mróz MJ; Jaroszyński M; Kiraga M; Abe F; Bando K; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Terry SK; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Tang Y; Mao S; Maoz D; Zhu W
    Aims. The light curves of the microlensing events MOA-2022-BLG-091 and KMT-2024-BLG-1209 exhibit anomalies with very similar features. These anomalies appear near the peaks of the light curves, where the magnifications are moderately high, and are distinguished by weak caustic-crossing features with minimal distortion while the source remains inside the caustic. To achieve a deeper understanding of these anomalies, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the lensing events. Methods. We carried out binary-lens modeling with a thorough exploration of the parameter space. This analysis revealed that the anomalies in both events are of planetary origin, although their exact interpretation is complicated by different types of degeneracy. In the case of MOA-2022-BLG-091, the main difficulty in the interpretation of the anomaly arises from a newly identified degeneracy related to the uncertain angle at which the source trajectory intersects the planet host axis. For KMT-2024-BLG-1209, the interpretation is affected by the previously known inner-outer degeneracy, which leads to ambiguity between solutions in which the source passes through either the inner or outer caustic region relative to the planet host. Results. Bayesian analysis indicates that the planets in both lens systems are giant planets with masses about two to four times that of Jupiter, orbiting early K-type main-sequence stars. Both systems are likely located in the Galactic disk at a distance of around 4 kiloparsecs. The degeneracy in KMT-2024-BLG-1209 is challenging to resolve because it stems from intrinsic similarities in the caustic structures of the degenerate solutions. In contrast, the degeneracy in MOA-2022-BLG-091, which occurs by chance rather than from inherent characteristics, is expected to be resolved by the future space based Roman RGES microlensing survey.
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    OGLE-2014-BLG-0221Lb: A Jupiter Mass Ratio Companion Orbiting Either a Late-type Star or a Stellar Remnant
    (American Astronomical Society, 2024-03-14) Kirikawa R; Sumi T; Bennett DP; Suzuki D; Koshimoto N; Miyazaki S; Bond IA; Udalski A; Rattenbury NJ; Abe F; Barry R; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hirao Y; Silva Ishitani S; Itow Y; Matsubara Y; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Satoh YK; Tomoyoshi M; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Yamashita K; Mróz P; Poleski R; Skowron J; Szymański MK; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski W; Ulaczyk K; Mróz MJ
    We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2014-BLG-0221, a planetary candidate event discovered in 2014. The photometric light curve is best described by a binary-lens single-source model. Our light-curve modeling finds two degenerate models, with event timescales of t E ∼ 70 days and ∼110 days. These timescales are relatively long, indicating that the discovered system would possess a substantial mass. The two models are similar in their planetary parameters with a Jupiter mass ratio of q ∼ 10−3 and a separation of s ∼ 1.1. Bayesian inference is used to estimate the physical parameters of the lens, revealing that the shorter timescale model predicts 65% and 25% probabilities of a late-type star and white dwarf host, respectively, while the longer timescale model favors a black hole host with a probability ranging from 60% to 95%, under the assumption that stars and stellar remnants have equal probabilities of hosting companions with planetary mass ratios. If the lens is a remnant, this would be the second planet found by microlensing around a stellar remnant. The current separation between the source and lens stars is 41-139 mas depending on the models. This indicates the event is now ready for high-angular-resolution follow-up observations to rule out either of the models. If precise astrometric measurements are conducted in multiple bands, the centroid shift due to the color difference between the source and lens would be detected in the luminous lens scenario
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    OGLE-2014-BLG-0319: A Sub-Jupiter-mass Planetary Event Encountered Degeneracy with Different Mass Ratios and Lens-source Relative Proper Motions
    (IOP Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society, 2022-03-01) Miyazaki S; Suzuki D; Udalski A; Koshimoto N; Bennett DP; Sumi T; Rattenbury N; Cheongho H; Abe F; Barry RK; Bhattacharya A; Bond IA; Fukui A; Fujii H; Hirao Y; Silva SI; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Kondo I; Munford B; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Muraki Y; Okamura A; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Satoh YK; Toda T; Tristram PJ; Yama H; Yonehara A; Poleski R; Mróz P; Skowron J; Szymański MK; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Ulaczyk K; Wyrzykowski Ł
    We report the discovery of a sub-Jovian-mass planet, OGLE-2014-BLG-0319Lb. The characteristics of this planet will be added into a future extended statistical analysis of the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) collaboration. The planetary anomaly of the light curve is characterized by MOA and OGLE survey observations and results in three degenerate models with different planetary-mass ratios of q = (10.3, 6.6, 4.5) × 10-4. We find that the last two models require unreasonably small lens-source relative proper motions of μ rel ∼1 mas yr-1. Considering Galactic prior probabilities, we rule out these two models from the final result. We conduct a Bayesian analysis to estimate physical properties of the lens system using a Galactic model and find that the lens system is composed of a 0.49-0.27+0.35MJup sub-Jovian planet orbiting a 0.47-0.25+0.33M⊙ M dwarf near the Galactic Bulge. This analysis demonstrates that Galactic priors are useful to resolve this type of model degeneracy. This is important for estimating the mass-ratio function statistically. However, this method would be unlikely successful in shorter timescale events, which are mostly due to low-mass objects, like brown dwarfs or free-floating planets. Therefore, careful treatment is needed for estimating the mass-ratio function of the companions around such low-mass hosts, which only the microlensing can probe.
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    OGLE-2014-BLG-1760: A Jupiter-Sun Analogue Residing in the Galactic Bulge
    (IOP Publishing on behalf of The American Astronomical Society, 2025-09-01) Rektsini NE; Ranc C; Koshimoto N; Beaulieu J-P; Bennett DP; Cole AA; Terry SK; Bhattacharya A; Bachelet É; Bond IA; Udalski A; Blackman JW; Vandorou A; Plunkett TJ; Marquette J-B
    We present the analysis of OGLE-2014-BLG-1760, a planetary system in the galactic bulge. We combine Keck Adaptive Optics follow-up observations in K-band with re-reduced light-curve data to confirm the source and lens star identifications and stellar types. The re-reduced Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics data set had an important impact on the light-curve model. We find the Einstein ring crossing time of the event to be ∼2.5 days shorter than previous fits, which increases the planetary mass-ratio and decreases the source angular size by a factor of 0.25. Our OSIRIS images obtained 6 yr after the peak of the event show a source-lens separation of 54.20 ± 0.23 mas, which leads to a relative proper motion of μrel = 9.14 ± 0.05 mas yr−1 and is larger than the previous light-curve-only models. Our analysis shows that the event consists of a Jupiter-mass planet of Mp = 0.931 ± 0.117 MJup orbiting a K-dwarf star of M* = 0.803 ± 0.097 M⊙ with a K-magnitude of KL = 18.30 ± 0.05, located in the galactic bulge or bar. We also attempt to constrain the source properties using the source angular size θ* and K-magnitude. Our results favor the scenario of the source being a younger star in the galactic disk, behind the galactic bulge, but future multicolor observations are needed to constrain the source and thus the lens properties.
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    OGLE-2015-BLG-0845L: a low-mass M dwarf from the microlensing parallax and xallarap effects
    (Oxford University Press, 2024-09-01) Hu Z; Zhu W; Gould A; Udalski A; Sumi T; Chen P; Calchi Novati S; Yee JC; Beichman CA; Bryden G; Carey S; Fausnaugh M; Scott Gaudi B; Henderson CB; Shvartzvald Y; Wibking B; Mroz P; Skowron J; Poleski R; Szymanski MK; Soszynski I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Ulaczyk K; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Wrona M; Gromadzki MG; Abe F; Barry R; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Bond IA; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hirao Y; Silva SI; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Suzuki D; Tomoyoshi M; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Yamashita K
    We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0845, which was affected by both the microlensing parallax and xallarap effects. The former was detected via the simultaneous observations from the ground and Spitzer, and the latter was caused by the orbital motion of the source star in a relatively close binary. The combination of these two effects led to a mass measurement of the lens object, revealing a low-mass (0.14 ± 0.05 M) M dwarf at the bulge distance (7.6 ± 1.0 kpc). The source binary consists of a late F-type subgiant and a K-type dwarf of ∼ 1.2 and ∼ 0.9M, respectively, and the orbital period is 70 ± 10 d. OGLE-2015-BLG-0845 is the first single-lens event in which the lens mass is measured via the binarity of the source. Given the abundance of binary systems as potential microlensing sources, the xallarap effect may not be a rare phenomenon. Our work thus highlights the application of the xallarap effect in the mass determination of microlenses, and the same method can be used to identify isolated dark lenses.
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    OGLE-2015-BLG-1609Lb: A sub-Jovian planet orbiting a low-mass stellar or brown dwarf host
    (EDP Sciences, 2025-05-01) Mróz MJ; Poleski R; Udalski A; Sumi T; Tsapras Y; Hundertmark M; Pietrukowicz P; Szymański MK; Skowron J; Mróz P; Gromadzki M; Iwanek P; Kozłowski S; Ratajczak M; Rybicki KA; Skowron DM; Soszyński I; Ulaczyk K; Wrona M; Abe F; Bando K; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Bond IA; Fukui A; Hamada R; Hamada S; Hamasaki N; Hirao Y; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Nagai T; Nunota K; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Suzuki D; Terry SK; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Street RA; Bachelet E; Dominik M; Cassan A; Figuera Jaimes R; Horne K; Schmidt R; Snodgrass C; Wambsganss J; Steele IA; Menzies J; Jørgensen UG; Longa-Peña P; Peixinho N; Skottfelt J; Southworth J; Andersen MI; Bozza V; Burgdorf MJ; D’Ago G; Hinse TC; Kerins E; Korhonen H; Kuffmeier M; Mancini L; Rabus M; Rahvar S
    We present a comprehensive analysis of the planetary microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1609. The planetary anomaly was detected by two survey telescopes, OGLE and MOA. Both surveys collected enough data over the planetary anomaly to enable an unambiguous planet detection. Such survey detections of planetary anomalies are needed to build a robust sample of planets, which could improve studies on the microlensing planetary occurrence rate by reducing biases and statistical uncertainties. In this work we examined different methods for modeling microlensing events using individual datasets. In particular, we incorporated a Galactic model prior to better constrain the poorly defined microlensing parallax. Ultimately, we fitted a comprehensive model to all available data, identifying three potential topologies, with two showing comparably high Bayesian evidence. Our analysis indicates that the host of the planet is either a brown dwarf, with a probability of 34%, or a low-mass stellar object (M dwarf), with a probability of 66%. The topology that provides the best fit to the data results in an extraordinary low host mass, Mh = 0.025+0.050-0.012M⊙, accompanied by an Earth-mass planet with Mc = 1.9+3.9-1.0M⊕.
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    OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb: A Sub-Neptune Beyond the Snow Line of an M-dwarf Confirmed by Keck Adaptive Optics
    (IOP Publishing, 2025-05-20) Vandorou A; Dang L; Bennett DP; Koshimoto N; Terry SK; Udalski A; Beaulieu J-P; Alard C; Bhattacharya A; Blackman JW; Bond IA; Bouchoutrouch-Ku T; Cole AA; Cowan NB; Marquette J-B; Ranc C; Rektsini NE; Cetre S; Lyke J; Marin E; Wizinowich P
    We present the analysis of high-resolution follow-up observations of OGLE-2016-BLG-1195 using Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics with Keck, seven years after the event’s peak. We resolve the lens, measuring its flux and the relative source-lens proper motion, thus finding the system to be a Mp = 10.08 ± 1.18M planet orbiting an M-dwarf, ML = 0.62 ± 0.05Me, beyond the snow line, with a projected separation of r = 2.24 ± 0.21 au at DL = 7.45 ± 0.55 kpc. Our results are consistent with the discovery paper, which reports values with 1σ uncertainties based on a single mass–distance constraint from finite source effects. However, both the discovery paper and our follow-up results disagree with the analysis of a different group that also present the planetary signal detection. The latter utilizes Spitzer photometry to measure a parallax signal claiming the system is an Earth-mass planet orbiting an ultracool dwarf. Their parallax signal though is improbable since it suggests a lens star in the disk moving perpendicular to or counter to the Galactic disk rotation. Moreover, microlensing parallaxes can be impacted by systematic errors in the photometry. Therefore, we reanalyze the Spitzer photometry using a pixel level decorrelation model to detrend detector systematics. We find that we cannot confidently recover the same detrended light curve that is likely dominated by systematic errors in the photometric data. The results of this paper act as a cautionary tale that a careful understanding of detector systematics and how they influence astrophysical constraints is crucial.