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1. OGLE-2017-BLG-0448Lb: A Low Mass–Ratio Wide-orbit Microlensing Planet?

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad284f  

   Zhai, Ruocheng ; Poleski, Radosław ; Zang, Weicheng ; Jung, Youn Kil ; Udalski, Andrzej ; Kuang, Renkun ; Leading Authors ; Albrow, Michael D. ; Chung, Sun-Ju ; Gould, Andrew ; et al ( March 2024 , The Astronomical Journal)

   The gravitational microlensing technique is most sensitive to planets in a Jupiter-like orbit and has detected more than 200 planets. However, only a few wide-orbit (s> 2) microlensing planets have been discovered, wheresis the planet-to-host separation normalized to the angular Einstein ring radius,θ_E. Here, we present the discovery and analysis of a strong candidate wide-orbit microlensing planet in the event OGLE-2017-BLG-0448. The whole light curve exhibits long-term residuals to the static binary-lens single-source model, so we investigate the residuals by adding the microlensing parallax, microlensing xallarap, an additional lens, or an additional source. For the first time, we observe a complex degeneracy between all four effects. The wide-orbit models withs∼ 2.5 and a planet-to-host mass ratio ofq∼ 10⁻⁴are significantly preferred, but we cannot rule out the close models withs∼ 0.35 andq∼ 10⁻³. A Bayesian analysis based on a Galactic model indicates that, despite the complicated degeneracy, the surviving wide-orbit models all contain a super-Earth-mass to Neptune-mass planet at a projected planet-host separation of ∼6 au and the surviving close-orbit models all consist of a Jovian-mass planet at ∼1 au. The host star is probably an M or K dwarf. We discuss the implications of this dimension-degeneracy disaster on microlensing light-curve analysis and its potential impact on statistical studies.

    

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2. KMT-2021-BLG-1077L: The fifth confirmed multiplanetary system detected by microlensing

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243550  

   Han, Cheongho ; Gould, Andrew ; Bond, Ian A. ; Kil Jung, Youn ; Albrow, Michael D. ; Chung, Sun-Ju ; Hwang, Kyu-Ha ; Ryu, Yoon-Hyun ; Shin, In-Gu ; Shvartzvald, Yossi ; et al ( June 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Aims. The high-magnification microlensing event KMT-2021-BLG-1077 exhibits a subtle and complex anomaly pattern in the region around the peak. We analyze the lensing light curve of the event with the aim of revealing the nature of the anomaly. Methods. We test various models in combination with several interpretations: that the lens is a binary (2L1S), the source is a binary (1L2S), both the lens and source are binaries (2L2S), or the lens is a triple system (3L1S). We search for the best-fit models under the individual interpretations of the lens and source systems. Results. We find that the anomaly cannot be explained by the usual three-body (2L1S and 1L2S) models. The 2L2S model improves the fit compared to the three-body models, but it still leaves noticeable residuals. On the other hand, the 3L1S interpretation yields a model explaining all the major anomalous features in the lensing light curve. According to the 3L1S interpretation, the estimated mass ratios of the lens companions to the primary are ~1.56 × 10 −3 and ~1.75 × 10 −3 , which correspond to ~1.6 and ~1.8 times the Jupiter/Sun mass ratio, respectively, and therefore the lens is a multiplanetary system containing two giant planets. With the constraints of the event time-scale and angular Einstein radius, it is found that the host of the lens system is a low-mass star of mid-to-late M spectral type with amass of M h = 0.14 −0.07 +0.19 M Θ , and it hosts two gas giant planets with masses of M p1 = 0.22 −0.12 +0.31 M J and M p2 = 0.25 −0.13 +0.35 . The planets lie beyond the snow line of the host with projected separations of a ⊥,p1 = 1.26 −1.08 +1.41 AU and a ⊥,p2 = 0.93 −0.80 +1.05 AU. The planetary system resides in the Galactic bulge at a distance of D L = 8.24 −1.16 +1.02 kpc. The lens of the event is the fifth confirmed multiplanetary system detected by microlensing following OGLE-2006-BLG-109L, OGLE-2012-BLG-0026L, OGLE-2018-BLG-1011L, and OGLE-2019-BLG-0468L. 

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3. KMT-2022-BLG-2397: Brown Dwarf at the Upper Shore of the Einstein Desert

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ace169  

   Gould, Andrew ; Ryu, Yoon-Hyun ; Yee, Jennifer C. ; Albrow, Michael D. ; Chung, Sun-Ju ; Han, Cheongho ; Hwang, Kyu-Ha ; Jung, Youn Kil ; Shin, In-Gu ; Shvartzvald, Yossi ; et al ( August 2023 , The Astronomical Journal)

   We measure the Einstein radius of the single-lens microlensing event KMT-2022-BLG-2397 to beθ_E= 24.8 ± 3.6μas, placing it at the upper shore of the Einstein Desert, 9 ≲θ_E/μas ≲ 25, between free-floating planets (FFPs) and bulge brown dwarfs (BDs). In contrast to the six BD (25 ≲θ_E≲ 50) events presented by Gould et al. (2022), which all had giant-star source stars, KMT-2022-BLG-2397 has a dwarf-star source, with angular radiusθ_ast∼ 0.9μas. This prompts us to study the relative utility of dwarf and giant sources for characterizing FFPs and BDs from finite-source point-lens (FSPL) microlensing events. We find “dwarfs” (including main-sequence stars and subgiants) are likely to yield twice as manyθ_Emeasurements for BDs and a comparable (but more difficult to quantify) improvement for FFPs. We show that neither current nor planned experiments will yield complete mass measurements of isolated bulge BDs, nor will any other planned experiment yield as manyθ_Emeasurements for these objects as the Korea Microlensing Telescope (KMT). Thus, the currently anticipated 10 yr KMT survey will remain the best way to study bulge BDs for several decades to come.

    

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4. OGLE-2019-BLG-1180Lb: Discovery of a Wide-orbit Jupiter-mass Planet around a Late-type Star

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad0723  

   Chung, Sun-Ju ; Udalski, Andrzej ; Yee, Jennifer C. ; Gould, Andrew ; Leading Authors ; Albrow, Michael D. ; Jung, Youn Kil ; Hwang, Kyu-Ha ; Han, Cheongho ; Ryu, Yoon-Hyun ; et al ( November 2023 , The Astronomical Journal)

   We report on the discovery and analysis of the planetary microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-1180 with a planet-to-star mass ratioq∼ 0.003. The event OGLE-2019-BLG-1180 has unambiguous cusp-passing and caustic-crossing anomalies, which were caused by a wide planetary caustic withs≃ 2, wheresis the star–planet separation in units of the angular Einstein radiusθ_E. Thanks to well-covered anomalies by the Korea Micorolensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), we measure both the angular Einstein radius and the microlens parallax in spite of a relatively short event timescale oft_E= 28 days. However, because of a weak constraint on the parallax, we conduct a Bayesian analysis to estimate the physical lens parameters. We find that the lens system is a super-Jupiter-mass planet of$M_{\mathrm{p}}={1.75}_{-0.51}^{+0.53}{M}_{\mathrm{J}}$orbiting a late-type star of$M_{\mathrm{h}}={0.55}_{-0.26}^{+0.27}{M}_{\odot }$at a distance$D_{\mathrm{L}}={6.1}_{-1.3}^{+0.9}\mathrm{kpc}$. The projected star–planet separation is$a_{\perp }={5.19}_{-1.23}^{+0.90}\mathrm{au}$, which means that the planet orbits at about four times the snow line of the host star. Considering the relative lens–source proper motion ofμ_rel= 6 mas yr⁻¹, the lens will be separated from the source by 60 mas in 2029. At that time one can measure the lens flux from adaptive optics imaging of Keck or a next-generation 30 m class telescope. OGLE-2019-BLG-1180Lb represents a growing population of wide-orbit planets detected by KMTNet, so we also present a general investigation into prospects for further expanding the sample of such planets.

    

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5. KMT-2021-BLG-1898: Planetary microlensing event involved with binary source stars

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243102  

   Han, Cheongho ; Gould, Andrew ; Kim, Doeon ; Jung, Youn Kil ; Albrow, Michael D. ; Chung, Sun-Ju ; Hwang, Kyu-Ha ; Lee, Chung-Uk ; Ryu, Yoon-Hyun ; Shin, In-Gu ; et al ( July 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Aims. The light curve of the microlensing event KMT-2021-BLG-1898 exhibits a short-term central anomaly with double-bump features that cannot be explained by the usual binary-lens or binary-source interpretations. With the aim of interpreting the anomaly, we analyze the lensing light curve under various sophisticated models. Methods. We find that the anomaly is explained by a model, in which both the lens and source are binaries (2L2S model). For this interpretation, the lens is a planetary system with a planet/host mass ratio of q ~ 1.5 × 10 −3 , and the source is a binary composed of a turn off or a subgiant star and a mid K dwarf. The double-bump feature of the anomaly can also be depicted by a triple-lens model (3L1S model), in which the lens is a planetary system containing two planets. Among the two interpretations, the 2L2S model is favored over the 3L1S model not only because it yields a better fit to the data, by ∆ χ 2 = [14.3−18.5], but also the Einstein radii derived independently from the two stars of the binary source result in consistent values. According to the 2L2S interpretation, KMT-2021-BLG-1898 is the third planetary lensing event occurring on a binary stellar system, following MOA-2010-BLG-117 and KMT-2018-BLG-1743. Results. Under the 2L2S interpretation, we identify two solutions resulting from the close-wide degeneracy in determining the planet-host separation. From a Bayesian analysis, we estimate that the planet has a mass of ~0.7−0.8 M J , and it orbits an early M dwarf host with a mass of ~0.5 M ⊙ . The projected planet-host separation is ~1.9 AU and ~3.0 AU according to the close and wide solutions, respectively. 

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