Search for: All records

Abstract The current studies of microlensing planets are limited by small number statistics. Follow-up observations of high-magnification microlensing events can efficiently form a statistical planetary sample. Since 2020, the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) and the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) global network have been conducting a follow-up program for high-magnification KMTNet events. Here, we report the detection and analysis of a microlensing planetary event, KMT-2023-BLG-1431, for which the subtle (0.05 mag) and short-lived (5 hr) planetary signature was characterized by the follow-up from KMTNet and LCO. A binary-lens single-source (2L1S) analysis reveals a planet/host mass ratio ofq= (0.72 ± 0.07) × 10⁻⁴, and the single-lens binary-source (1L2S) model is excluded by Δχ²= 80. A Bayesian analysis using a Galactic model yields estimates of the host star mass of $M_{\mathrm{host}}={0.57}_{-0.29}^{+0.33}{M}_{\odot }$, the planetary mass of $M_{\mathrm{planet}}={13.5}_{-6.8}^{+8.1}{M}_{\oplus }$, and the lens distance of $D_{\mathrm{L}}={6.9}_{-1.7}^{+0.8}$kpc. The projected planet-host separation of $a_{\perp }={2.3}_{-0.5}^{+0.5}$au or $a_{\perp }={3.2}_{-0.8}^{+0.7}$au, subject to the close/wide degeneracy. We also find that without the follow-up data, the survey-only data cannot break the degeneracy of central/resonant caustics and the degeneracy of 2L1S/1L2S models, showing the importance of follow-up observations for current microlensing surveys. 

Aims.We investigate the previous microlensing data collected by the KMTNet survey in search of anomalous events for which no precise interpretations of the anomalies had been suggested. From this investigation, we find that the anomaly in the lensing light curve of the event KMT-2021-BLG-1547 is approximately described by a binary-lens (2L1S) model with a lens possessing a giant planet, but the model leaves unexplained residuals. Methods.We investigated the origin of the residuals by testing more sophisticated models that include either an extra lens component (3L1S model) or an extra source star (2L2S model) on top of the 2L1S configuration of the lens system. From these analyses, we find that the residuals from the 2L1S model originate from the existence of a faint companion to the source. The 2L2S solution substantially reduces the residuals and improves the model fit by Δχ²= 67.1 with respect to the 2L1S solution. The 3L1S solution also improves the fit, but its fit is worse than that of the 2L2S solution by Δχ²= 24.7. Results.According to the 2L2S solution, the lens of the event is a planetary system with planet and host masses (M_p/M_J,M_h/M_⊙) = (1.47_−0.77^+0.64, 0.72_−0.38^+0.32) lying at a distanceD_L= 5.07_−1.50^+0.98kpc, and the source is a binary composed of a subgiant primary of a lateGor an earlyKspectral type and a main-sequence companion of aKspectral type. The event demonstrates the need for sophisticated modeling of unexplained anomalies if one wants to construct a complete microlensing planet sample. 

Aims.We investigate the microlensing data collected in the 2022 season from high-cadence microlensing surveys in order to find weak signals produced by planetary companions to lenses. Methods.From these searches, we find that two lensing events, KMT-2022-BLG-0475 and KMT-2022-BLG-1480, exhibit weak short-term anomalies. From a detailed modeling of the lensing light curves, we determine that the anomalies are produced by planetary companions with a mass ratio to the primary ofq ~1.8 × 10⁻⁴for KMT-2022-BLG-0475L andq ~4.3 × 10⁻⁴for KMT-2022-BLG-1480L. Results.We estimate that the host and planet masses and the projected planet-host separation are (M_h/M_⊙,M_p/M_U,a_⊥/au) = (0.43_−0.23^+0.35, 1.73_−0.92^+1.42, 2.03_−0.38^+0.25) for KMT-2022-BLG-0475L and (0.18_−0.09^+0.16, 1.82_−0.92^+1.60, 1.22_−0.14^+0.15) for KMT-2022-BLG-1480L, whereM_Udenotes the mass of Uranus. The two planetary systems have some characteristics in common: the primaries of the lenses are early-mid M dwarfs that lie in the Galactic bulge, and the companions are ice giants that lie beyond the snow lines of the planetary systems. 

ABSTRACT In this work, we update and develop algorithms for KMTNet tender-love care (TLC) photometry in order to create a new, mostly automated, TLC pipeline. We then start a project to systematically apply the new TLC pipeline to the historic KMTNet microlensing events, and search for buried planetary signals. We report the discovery of such a planet candidate in the microlensing event MOA-2019-BLG-421/KMT-2019-BLG-2991. The anomalous signal can be explained by either a planet around the lens star or the orbital motion of the source star. For the planetary interpretation, despite many degenerate solutions, the planet is most likely to be a Jovian planet orbiting an M or K dwarf, which is a typical microlensing planet. The discovery proves that the project can indeed increase the sensitivity of historic events and find previously undiscovered signals. 

Aims.Recently, there have been reports of various types of degeneracies in the interpretation of planetary signals induced by planetary caustics. In this work we check whether such degeneracies persist in the case of well-covered signals by analyzing the lensing event KMT-2021-BLG-1150, the light curve of which exhibits a densely and continuously covered short-term anomaly. Methods.In order to identify degenerate solutions, we thoroughly investigated the parameter space by conducting dense grid searches for the lensing parameters. We then checked the severity of the degeneracy among the identified solutions. Results.We identify a pair of planetary solutions resulting from the well-known inner-outer degeneracy, and find that interpreting the anomaly is not subject to any degeneracy other than the inner-outer degeneracy. The measured parameters of the planet separation (normalized to the Einstein radius) and mass ratio between the lens components are (s,q)_in~ (1.297, 1.10 × 10⁻³) for the inner solution and (s,q)_out~ (1.242, 1.15 × 10⁻³) for the outer solution. According to a Bayesian estimation, the lens is a planetary system consisting of a planet with a massM_p= 0.88_−0.36^+0.38M_jand its host with a massM_h= 0.73_−0.30^+0.32M_⊙lying toward the Galactic center at a distanceD_L= 3.8_−1.2^+1.3kpc. By conducting analyses using mock data sets prepared to mimic those obtained with data gaps and under various observational cadences, we find that gaps in data can result in various degenerate solutions, while the observational cadence does not pose a serious degeneracy problem as long as the anomaly feature can be delineated. 

Aims.We inspect the microlensing data of the KMTNet survey collected during the 2018-2020 seasons in order to find lensing events produced by binaries with brown dwarf (BD) companions. Methods.In order to pick out binary-lens events with candidate BD lens companions, we conducted systematic analyses of all anomalous lensing events observed during the seasons from 2018 to 2020. By applying a selection criterion of mass ratio between the lens components of 0.03 ≲q≲ 0.1, we identify four binary-lens events with candidate BD companions, namely KMT-2018-BLG-0321, KMT-2018-BLG-0885, KMT-2019-BLG-0297, and KMT-2019-BLG-0335. For the individual events, we present interpretations of the lens systems and measure the observables that can be used to constrain the physical lens parameters. Results.The masses of the lens companions estimated from the Bayesian analyses based on the measured observables indicate high probabilities that the lens companions are in the BD mass regime; that is, 59%, 68%, 66%, and 66% for the four respective events. 

Aims. We investigate the data collected by the high-cadence microlensing surveys during the 2022 season in search of planetary signals appearing in the light curves of microlensing events. From this search, we find that the lensing event MOA-2022-BLG-249 exhibits a brief positive anomaly that lasted for about one day, with a maximum deviation of ~0.2 mag from a single-source, single-lens model. Methods. We analyzed the light curve under the two interpretations of the anomaly: one originated by a low-mass companion to the lens (planetary model) and the other originated by a faint companion to the source (binary-source model). Results. We find that the anomaly is better explained by the planetary model than the binary-source model. We identified two solutions rooted in the inner-outer degeneracy and for both of them, the estimated planet-to-host mass ratio, q ~ 8 × 10 −5 , is very small. With the constraints provided by the microlens parallax and the lower limit on the Einstein radius, as well as the blend-flux constraint, we find that the lens is a planetary system, in which a super-Earth planet, with a mass of (4.83 ± 1.44) Μ ⊕ , orbits a low-mass host star, with a mass of (0.18 ± 0.05) M ⊙ , lying in the Galactic disk at a distance of (2.00 ± 0.42) kpc. The planet detection demonstrates the elevated microlensing sensitivity of the current high-cadence lensing surveys to low-mass planets. 

ABSTRACT We present the observations and analysis of a high-magnification microlensing planetary event, KMT-2022-BLG-0440, for which the weak and short-lived planetary signal was covered by both the KMTNet survey and follow-up observations. The binary-lens models with a central caustic provide the best fits, with a planet/host mass ratio, q = 0.75–1.00 × 10−4 at 1σ. The binary-lens models with a resonant caustic and a brown-dwarf mass ratio are both excluded by Δχ2 > 70. The binary-source model can fit the anomaly well but is rejected by the ‘colour argument’ on the second source. From Bayesian analyses, it is estimated that the host star is likely a K or M dwarf located in the Galactic disc, the planet probably has a Neptune-mass, and the projected planet-host separation is $$1.9^{+0.6}_{-0.7}$$ or $$4.6^{+1.4}_{-1.7}$$  au, subject to the close/wide degeneracy. This is the third q < 10−4 planet from a high-magnification planetary signal (A ≳ 65). Together with another such planet, KMT-2021-BLG-0171Lb, the ongoing follow-up program for the KMTNet high-magnification events has demonstrated its ability to detect high-magnification planetary signals for q < 10−4 planets, which are challenging for the current microlensing surveys. 

Abstract This supplement provides supporting material for Lam et al. We briefly summarize past gravitational microlensing searches for black holes (BHs) and present details of the observations, analysis, and modeling of five BH candidates observed with both ground-based photometric microlensing surveys and Hubble Space Telescope astrometry and photometry. We present detailed results for four of the five candidates that show no or low probability for the lens to be a BH. In these cases, the lens masses are <2 M ⊙ , and two of the four are likely white dwarfs or neutron stars. We also present detailed methods for comparing the full sample of five candidates to theoretical expectations of the number of BHs in the Milky Way (∼10 8 ). 

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.