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Abstract 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 ${3.0}_{-1.3}^{+1.8}{M}_{\odot }$, ${4.7}_{-2.1}^{+3.2}{M}_{\odot }$, ${3.15}_{-0.64}^{+0.66}{M}_{\odot }$and ${1.40}_{-0.55}^{+0.75}{M}_{\odot }$, 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 (t_E) versus parallax (π_E) diagram to derive constraints on the population of lenses in general and massive remnants in particular. 

Aims.We investigated the nature of the anomalies appearing in four microlensing events KMT-2020-BLG-0757, KMT-2022-BLG-0732, KMT-2022-BLG-1787, and KMT-2022-BLG-1852. The light curves of these events commonly exhibit initial bumps followed by subsequent troughs that extend across a substantial portion of the light curves. Methods.We performed thorough modeling of the anomalies to elucidate their characteristics. Despite their prolonged durations, which differ from the usual brief anomalies observed in typical planetary events, our analysis revealed that each anomaly in these events originated from a planetary companion located within the Einstein ring of the primary star. It was found that the initial bump arouse when the source star crossed one of the planetary caustics, while the subsequent trough feature occurred as the source traversed the region of minor image perturbations lying between the pair of planetary caustics. Results.The estimated masses of the host and planet, their mass ratios, and the distance to the discovered planetary systems are (M_host/M_⊙,M_planet/M_J,q/10⁻³,D_L/kpc) = (0.58_−0.30^+0.33, 10.71_−5.61^+6.17, 17.61 ± 2.25, 6.67_−1.30^+0.93) for KMT-2020-BLG-0757, (0.53_−0.31^+0.31, 1.12_−0.65^+0.65, 2.01 ± 0.07, 6.66_−1.84^+1.19) for KMT-2022-BLG-0732, (0.42_−0.23^+0.32, 6.64_−3.64^+4.98, 15.07 ± 0.86, 7.55_−1.30^+0.89) for KMT-2022-BLG-1787, and (0.32_−0.19^+0.34, 4.98_−2.94^+5.42, 8.74 ± 0.49, 6.27_−1.15^+0.90) for KMT-2022-BLG-1852. These parameters indicate that all the planets are giants with masses exceeding the mass of Jupiter in our solar system and the hosts are low-mass stars with masses substantially less massive than the Sun. 

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], wheresandqdenote 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)M_E, 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. 

Abstract Following Shin et al. (2023b), which is a part of the “Systematic KMTNet Planetary Anomaly Search” series (i.e., a search for planets in the 2016 KMTNet prime fields), we conduct a systematic search of the 2016 KMTNet subprime fields using a semi-machine-based algorithm to identify hidden anomalous events missed by the conventional by-eye search. We find four new planets and seven planet candidates that were buried in the KMTNet archive. The new planets are OGLE-2016-BLG-1598Lb, OGLE-2016-BLG-1800Lb, MOA-2016-BLG-526Lb, and KMT-2016-BLG-2321Lb, which show typical properties of microlensing planets, i.e., giant planets orbit M-dwarf host stars beyond their snow lines. For the planet candidates, we find planet/binary or 2L1S/1L2S degeneracies, which are an obstacle to firmly claiming planet detections. By combining the results of Shin et al. (2023b) and this work, we find a total of nine hidden planets, which is about half the number of planets discovered by eye in 2016. With this work, we have met the goal of the systematic search series for 2016, which is to build a complete microlensing planet sample. We also show that our systematic searches significantly contribute to completing the planet sample, especially for planet/host mass ratios smaller than 10⁻³, which were incomplete in previous by-eye searches of the KMTNet archive.