Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item A Candidate High-velocity Exoplanet System in the Galactic Bulge(American Astronomical Society, Washington, 2025-03) Terry SK; Beaulieu J-P; Bennett DP; Bhattacharya A; Hulberg J; Huston MJ; Koshimoto N; Blackman JW; Bond IA; Cole AA; Lu JR; Ranc C; Rektsini NE; Vandorou AWe present an analysis of adaptive optics images from the Keck I telescope of the microlensing event MOA-2011-BLG-262. The original discovery paper by Bennett et al. reports two possibilities for the lens system: a nearby gas giant lens with an exomoon companion or a very low-mass star with a planetary companion in the Galactic bulge. The ∼10 yr baseline between the microlensing event and the Keck follow-up observations allows us to detect the faint candidate lens host (star) at K = 22.3 mag and confirm the distant lens system interpretation. The combination of the host star brightness and light curve parameters yields host star and planet masses of Mhost = 0.19 ± 0.03 M⊙ and mp = 28.92 ± 4.75 M⊕ at a distance of DL = 7.49 ± 0.91 kpc. We perform a multiepoch cross reference to Gaia Data Release 3 and measure a transverse velocity for the candidate lens system of vL = 541.31 ± 65.75 km s−1. We conclude this event consists of the highest-velocity exoplanet system detected to date, and also the lowest-mass microlensing host star with a confirmed mass measurement. The high-velocity nature of the lens system can be definitively confirmed with an additional epoch of high-resolution imaging at any time now. The methods outlined in this work demonstrate that the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey will be able to securely measure low-mass host stars in the bulge.Item 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 KIn 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.Item Unveiling MOA-2007-BLG-192: An M Dwarf Hosting a Likely Super-Earth(American Astronomical Society, 2024-07-15) Terry SK; Beaulieu J-P; Bennett DP; Hamdorf E; Bhattacharya A; Chaudhry V; Cole AA; Koshimoto N; Anderson J; Bachelet E; Blackman JW; Bond IA; Lu JR; Marquette JB; Ranc C; Rektsini NE; Sahu K; Vandorou AWe present an analysis of high-angular-resolution images of the microlensing target MOA-2007-BLG-192 using Keck adaptive optics and the Hubble Space Telescope. The planetary host star is robustly detected as it separates from the background source star in nearly all of the Keck and Hubble data. The amplitude and direction of the lens-source separation allows us to break a degeneracy related to the microlensing parallax and source radius crossing time. Thus, we are able to reduce the number of possible binary-lens solutions by a factor of ∼2, demonstrating the power of high-angular-resolution follow-up imaging for events with sparse light-curve coverage. Following Bennett et al., we apply constraints from the high-resolution imaging on the light-curve modeling to find host star and planet masses of M host = 0.28 ± 0.04 M ☉ and m p = 12.49 − 8.03 + 65.47 M ⊕ at a distance from Earth of D L = 2.16 ± 0.30 kpc. This work illustrates the necessity for the Nancy Grace Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey to use its own high-resolution imaging to inform light-curve modeling for microlensing planets that the mission discovers.Item 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 MJWe 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 scenarioItem OGLE-2019-BLG-0825: Constraints on the Source System and Effect on Binary-lens Parameters Arising from a Five-day Xallarap Effect in a Candidate Planetary Microlensing Event(American Astronomical Society, 2023-08-18) Satoh YK; Koshimoto N; Bennett DP; Sumi T; Rattenbury NJ; Suzuki D; Miyazaki S; Bond IA; Udalski A; Gould A; Bozza V; Dominik M; Hirao Y; Kondo I; Kirikawa R; Hamada R; Abe F; Barry R; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Fujita K; Ikeno T; Ishitani Silva S; Itow Y; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Muraki Y; Niwa K; Okamura A; Olmschenk G; Ranc C; Toda T; Tomoyoshi M; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Yamashita K; Mróz P; Poleski R; Skowron J; Szymański MK; Poleski R; Soszyński I; Pietrukowicz P; Kozłowski S; Ulaczyk K; Rybicki KA; Iwanek P; Wrona M; Gromadzki M; Albrow MD; Chung S-J; Han C; Hwang K-H; Kim D; Jung YK; Kim HW; Ryu Y-H; Shin I-G; Shvartzvald Y; Yang H; 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; Jørgensen UG; Longa-Peña P; Sajadian S; Skottfelt J; Snodgrass C; Tregloan-Reed J; Bach-Møller N; Burgdorf M; D'Ago G; Haikala L; Hitchcock J; Hundertmark M; Khalouei E; Peixinho N; Rahvar S; Southworth J; Spyratos PWe present an analysis of microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-0825. This event was identified as a planetary candidate by preliminary modeling. We find that significant residuals from the best-fit static binary-lens model exist and a xallarap effect can fit the residuals very well and significantly improves χ 2 values. On the other hand, by including the xallarap effect in our models, we find that binary-lens parameters such as mass ratio, q, and separation, s, cannot be constrained well. However, we also find that the parameters for the source system such as the orbital period and semimajor axis are consistent between all the models we analyzed. We therefore constrain the properties of the source system better than the properties of the lens system. The source system comprises a G-type main-sequence star orbited by a brown dwarf with a period of P ∼5 days. This analysis is the first to demonstrate that the xallarap effect does affect binary-lens parameters in planetary events. It would not be common for the presence or absence of the xallarap effect to affect lens parameters in events with long orbital periods of the source system or events with transits to caustics, but in other cases, such as this event, the xallarap effect can affect binary-lens parameters.Item MOA-2020-BLG-135Lb: A New Neptune-class Planet for the Extended MOA-II Exoplanet Microlens Statistical Analysis(IOP Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society, 2022-09-01) Silva SI; Ranc C; Bennett DP; Bond IA; Zang W; Abe F; Barry R; Bhattacharya A; Fujii H; Fukui A; Hirao Y; Itow Y; Kirikawa R; Kondo I; Koshimoto N; Matsubara Y; Matsumoto S; Miyazaki S; Muraki Y; Olmschenk G; Okamura A; Rattenbury NJ; Satoh Y; Sumi T; Suzuki D; Toda T; Tristram PJ; Vandorou A; Yama H; Petric A; Burdullis T; Fouqué P; Mao S; Penny MT; Zhu W; Rau GWe report the light-curve analysis for the event MOA-2020-BLG-135, which leads to the discovery of a new Neptune-class planet, MOA-2020-BLG-135Lb. With a derived mass ratio of q = 1.52-0.31+0.39 ´ 10-4 and separation s ≈ 1, the planet lies exactly at the break and likely peak of the exoplanet mass-ratio function derived by the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) Collaboration. We estimate the properties of the lens system based on a Galactic model and considering two different Bayesian priors: one assuming that all stars have an equal planet-hosting probability and the other that planets are more likely to orbit more-massive stars. With a uniform host mass prior, we predict that the lens system is likely to be a planet of mass mplanet = 11.3-6.9+19.2 MÅ and a host star of mass Mhost = 0.23-0.14+0.39 M☉, located at a distance DL = 7.9-1.0+1.0 kpc. With a prior that holds that planet occurrence scales in proportion to the host-star mass, the estimated lens system properties are mplanet = 25-15+22 MÅ, Mhost = 0.53-0.32+0.42 M☉, and DL = 8.3-1.0+0.9 kpc. This planet qualifies for inclusion in the extended MOA-II exoplanet microlens sample.