A Candidate M31/M32 Intergalactic Microlensing Event

S. Paulin-Henriksson; P. Baillon; A. Bouquet; B. J. Carr; M. Creze; N. W. Evans; Y. Giraud-Heraud; A. Gould; P. Hewett; J. Kaplan; E. Kerins; Y. Le Du; A. -L. Melchior; S. J. Smartt; D. Valls-Gabaud; the POINT-AGAPE collaboration

doi:10.1086/343887

arXiv · astro-ph/0206387

A Candidate M31/M32 Intergalactic Microlensing Event

S. Paulin-Henriksson·P. Baillon·A. Bouquet·B. J. Carr·M. Creze·N. W. Evans·Y. Giraud-Heraud·A. Gould·P. Hewett·J. Kaplan·E. Kerins·Y. Le Du·A. -L. Melchior·S. J. Smartt·D. Valls-Gabaud·the POINT-AGAPE collaboration

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We report the discovery of a microlensing candidate projected 2'54" from the center of M32, on the side closest to M31. The blue color (R-I= 0.00 +/- 0.14) of the source argues strongly that it lies in the disk of M31, while the proximity of the line of sight to M32 implies that this galaxy is the most likely host of the lens. If this interpretation is correct, it would confirm previous arguments that M32 lies in front of M31. We estimate that of order one such event or less should be present in the POINT-AGAPE data base. If more events are discovered in this direction in a dedicated experiment, they could be used to measure the mass function of M32 up to an unknown scale factor. By combining microlensing observations of a binary-lens event with a measurement of the M31-M32 relative proper motion using the astrometric satellites SIM or GAIA, it will be possible to measure the physical separation of M31 and M32, the last of the six phase-space coordinates needed to assign M32 an orbit.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

S. Paulin-Henriksson, P. Baillon, A. Bouquet, B. J. Carr, M. Creze, N. W. Evans, Y. Giraud-Heraud, A. Gould, P. Hewett, J. Kaplan, E. Kerins, Y. Le Du, A. -L. Melchior, S. J. Smartt, D. Valls-Gabaud, the POINT-AGAPE collaboration. 2002-06-21. A Candidate M31/M32 Intergalactic Microlensing Event. https://doi.org/10.1086/343887

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2024

Deformation procedure for scalar fields in cosmology

This work offers an extension of the deformation procedure introduced in field theory to the case of standard cosmology in the presence of real scalar field in flat space-time. The procedure is shown to work for many models, which give rise to several different cosmic scenarios, evolving under the presence of first-order differential equations which solve the corresponding equations of motion very appropriately.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2023

Does Unruh radiation accelerate the universe? A novel approach to dark energy

In braneworld scenario, the brane accelerates in the bulk, and hence it perceives a thermal bulk filled with Unruh radiation. We put forward that there may be an energy exchange between Unruh radiation in the bulk and the dark matter confined to the brane, which accelerates the universe.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2023

Dark Energy is the Cosmological Quantum Vacuum Energy of Light Particles-The Axion and the Lightest Neutrino

We uncover the general mechanism producing the dark energy(DE). This is only based on well known quantum physics and cosmology. We show that the observed DE originates from the cosmological quantum vacuum of light particles which provides a continuous energy distribution able to reproduce the data. Bosons give positive contributions to the DE while fermions yield negative contributions. As usual in field theory, ultraviolet divergences are subtracted from the physical quantities. The subtractions respect the symmetries of the theory and we normalize the physical quantities to be zero for the Minkowski vacuum. The resulting finite contributions to the energy density and the pressure from the quantum vacuum grow as log a(t) where a(t) is the scale factor, while the particle contributions dilute as 1/a^3(t), as it must be for massive particles. The DE equation of state P = w(z)H turns to be w(z)<-1 with w(z) asymptotically reaching the value -1 from below.A scalar particle can produce the observed DE through its quantum cosmological vacuum provided:(i)its mass is of the order of 10^{-3} eV = 1 meV,(ii) it is very weakly coupled and (iii) it is stable on the time scale of the age of the universe. The axion vacuum thus appears as a natural candidate. The neutrino vacuum (especially the lightest mass eigenstate) can give negative contributions to the DE. We find that w(z=0) is slightly below -1 by an amount ranging from [-1.5 10^{-3}] to [-8 10^{-3}] and we predict the axion mass to be in the range between 4 and 5 meV. We find that the universe will expand in the future faster than the de Sitter universe, as an exponential in the square of the cosmic time. DE arises from the quantum vacua of light particles in FRW cosmological space time in an analogous way to the Casimir effect in Minkowski spacetime with non trivial boundaries.

astro-ph↗