arXiv subjects

Dong-Joo Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Dong-Joo Lee.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

KMT-2021-BLG-0322: Severe degeneracy between triple-lens and higher-order binary-lens interpretations

We investigate the microlensing event KMT-2021-BLG-0322, for which the light curve exhibits three distinctive sets of caustic-crossing features. It is found that the overall features of the light curve are approximately described by a binary-lens (2L1S) model, but the model leaves substantial residuals. We test various interpretations with the aim of explaining the residuals. We find that the residuals can be explained either by considering a nonrectilinear lens-source motion caused by the microlens-parallax and lens-orbital effects or by adding a low-mass companion to the binary lens (3L1S model). The degeneracy between the higher-order 2L1S model and the 3L1S model is very severe, making it difficult to single out a correct solution based on the photometric data. This degeneracy was known before for two previous events (MACHO-97-BLG-41 and OGLE-2013-BLG-0723), which led to the false detections of planets in binary systems, and thus the identification of the degeneracy for KMT-2021-BLG-0322 illustrates that the degeneracy can be not only common but also very severe, emphasizing the need to check both interpretations of deviations from 2L1S models. From the Bayesian analysis conducted with the measured lensing observables of the event timescale, angular Einstein radius, and microlens parallax, it was estimated that the binary lens components have masses $(M_1, M_2) =(0.62^{+0.25}_{-0.26}~M_\odot,0.07^{+0.03}_{-0.03}~M_\odot)$, for both 2L1S and 3L1S solutions, and the mass of the tertiary lens component according to the 3L1S solution is $M_3=6.40^{+2.64}_{-2.78}~M_{\rm J}$.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

OGLE-2019-BLG-0304: Competing Interpretations between a Planet-binary Model and a Binary-source + Binary-lens model

We analyze the microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-0304, whose light curve exhibits two distinctive features: a deviation in the peak region and a second bump appearing $\sim 61$~days after the main peak. Although a binary-lens model can explain the overall features, it leaves subtle but noticeable residuals in the peak region. We find that the residuals can be explained by the presence of either a planetary companion located close to the primary of the binary lens (3L1S model) or an additional close companion to the source (2L2S model). Although the 3L1S model is favored over the 2L2S model, with $Δχ^2\sim 8$, securely resolving the degeneracy between the two models is difficult with the currently available photometric data. According to the 3L1S interpretation, the lens is a planetary system, in which a planet with a mass $0.51^{+0.51}_{-0.23}~M_{\rm J}$ is in an S-type orbit around a binary composed of stars with masses $0.27^{+0.27}_{-0.12}~M_\odot$ and $0.10^{+0.10}_{-0.04}~M_\odot$. According to the 2L2S interpretation, on the other hand, the source is composed of G- and K-type giant stars, and the lens is composed of a low-mass M dwarf and a brown dwarf with masses $0.12^{+0.12}_{-0.05}~M_\odot$ and $0.045^{+0.045}_{-.019}~M_\odot$, respectively. The event illustrates the need for through model testing in the interpretation of lensing events with complex features in light curves.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

Pulsation and Rotation of the EL CVn-type Eclipsing Binary 1SWASP J024743.37-251549.2

EL CVn-type eclipsing binaries are composed of a massive A-type main-sequence primary star and a hotter B-type secondary star. This paper presents the time-series photometric and asteroseismic results of the EL CVn-type star 1SWASP J024743.37-251549.2. Well-defined eclipsing light curves were constructed by using the novel high-cadence $BV$ data and archival {\it TESS} data, and the physical parameters of each binary component were derived by modeling the light curves. Multiple frequency analysis was performed to investigate the pulsation properties of the binary components. A reliable signal could not be detected in the high-frequency region of 100--300 day$^{-1}$, unlike in the previous discovery of three frequencies around 200 day$^{-1}$. This indicates that the pulsation amplitudes of the pre-helium white dwarf secondary component decreased considerably. By contrast, 12 frequencies were detected in the range of 33 to 53 day$^{-1}$. Most of them were classified as $δ$ Sct-type pulsations originating from the primary star. Theoretical frequencies for the seismic analysis were obtained by adding the non-rotating model frequencies from the GYRE and their rotational shifts from the complete calculation approach. Grid-based fitting was conducted for various stellar properties. The theoretical frequencies and stellar parameters of the best solution concurred well with the observations. The rotation rate was constrained to 1.50 $\pm$ 0.02 day$^{-1}$, indicating the synchronized rotation of the primary star. The results imply that the complete approach based on the polytropic model is applicable to the seismic analysis of fast-rotating $δ$ Sct stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

KMT-2018-BLG-1743: Planetary Microlensing Event Occurring on Two Source Stars

We present the analysis of the microlensing event KMT-2018-BLG-1743. The light curve of the event, with a peak magnification $A_{\rm peak}\sim 800$, exhibits two anomaly features, one around the peak and the other on the falling side of the light curve. An interpretation with a binary lens and a single source (2L1S) cannot describe the anomalies. By conducting additional modeling that includes an extra lens (3L1S) or an extra source (2L2S) relative to a 2L1S interpretation, we find that 2L2S interpretations with a planetary lens system and a binary source best explain the observed light curve with $Δχ^2\sim 188$ and $\sim 91$ over the 2L1S and 3L1S solutions, respectively. Assuming that these $Δχ^2$ values are adequate for distinguishing the models, the event is the fourth 2L2S event and the second 2L2S planetary event. The 2L2S interpretations are subject to a degeneracy, resulting in two solutions with $s>1.0$ (wide solution) and $s<1.0$ (close solution). The masses of the lens components and the distance to the lens are $(M_{\rm host}/M_\odot, M_{\rm planet}/M_{\rm J}, D_{\rm L}/{\rm kpc}) \sim (0.19^{+0.27}_{-0.111}, 0.25^{+0.34}_{-0.14}, 6.48^{+0.94}_{-1.03})$ and $\sim (0.42^{+0.34}_{-0.25}, 1.61^{+1.30}_{-0.97}, 6.04^{+0.93}_{-1.27})$ according to the wide and close solutions, respectively. The source is a binary composed of an early G dwarf and a mid M dwarf. The values of the relative lens-source proper motion expected from the two degenerate solutions, $μ_{\rm wide}\sim 2.3 $mas yr$^{-1}$ and $μ_{\rm close} \sim 4.1 $mas yr$^{-1}$, are substantially different, and thus the degeneracy can be broken by resolving the lens and source from future high-resolution imaging observations.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

KMT-2019-BLG-2073: Fourth Free-Floating-Planet Candidate with $θ_\rm E < 10 \rmμas$

We analyze the very short Einstein timescale ($t_\rm E \simeq 7\,{\rm hr}$) event KMT-2019-BLG-2073. Making use of the pronounced finite-source effects generated by the clump-giant source, we measure the Einstein radius $θ_\rm E \simeq 4.8\,\rm μas$, and so infer a mass $M = 59\,M_\oplus (π_\rm{rel}/16 \,\rm μas)^{-1}$, where $π_\rm{rel}$ is the lens-source relative parallax. We find no significant evidence for a host of this planetary mass object, though one could be present at sufficiently wide separation. If so, it would be detectable after about 10 years. This is the fourth isolated microlens with a measured Einstein radius $θ_\rm{E}<10\,\rm μas$, which we argue is a useful threshold for a "likely free-floating planet (FFP)" candidate. We outline a new approach to constructing a homogeneous sample of giant-star finite-source/point-lens (FSPL) events, within which the subsample of FFP candidates can be statistically analyzed. We illustrate this approach using 2019 KMTNet data and show that there is a large $θ_\rm{E}$ gap between the two FFP candidates and the 11 other FSPL events. We argue that such sharp features are more identifiable in a sample selected on $θ_\rm{E}$ compared to the traditional approach of identifying candidates based on short $t_\rm{E}$.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

Shortest Microlensing Event with a Bound Planet: KMT-2016-BLG-2605

KMT-2016-BLG-2605, with planet-host mass ratio $q=0.012\pm 0.001$, has the shortest Einstein timescale, $t_\e = 3.41\pm 0.13\,$days, of any planetary microlensing event to date. This prompts us to examine the full sample of 7 short ($t_\e<7\,$day) planetary events with good $q$ measurements. We find that six have clustered Einstein radii $θ_\e = 115\pm 20\,\muas$ and lens-source relative proper motions $μ_\rel\simeq 9.5\pm 2.5\,\masyr$. For the seventh, these two quantities could not be measured. These distributions are consistent with a Galactic-bulge population of very low-mass (VLM) hosts near the hydrogen-burning limit. This conjecture could be verified by imaging at first adaptive-optics light on next-generation (30m) telescopes. Based on a preliminary assessment of the sample, "planetary" companions (i.e., below the deuterium-burning limit) are divided into "genuine planets", formed in their disks by core accretion, and very low-mass brown dwarfs, which form like stars. We discuss techniques for expanding the sample, which include taking account of the peculiar "anomaly dominated" morphology of the KMT-2016-BLG-2605 light curve.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

Three microlensing planets with no caustic-crossing features

We search for microlensing planets with signals exhibiting no caustic-crossing features, considering the possibility that such signals may be missed due to their weak and featureless nature. For this purpose, we reexamine the lensing events found by the KMTNet survey before the 2019 season. From this investigation, we find two new planetary lensing events, KMT-2018-BLG-1976 and KMT-2018-BLG-1996. We also present the analysis of the planetary event OGLE-2019-BLG-0954, for which the planetary signal was known, but no detailed analysis has been presented before. We identify the genuineness of the planetary signals by checking various interpretations that can generate short-term anomalies in lensing light curves. From Bayesian analyses conducted with the constraint from available observables, we find that the host and planet masses are $(M_1, M_2)\sim (0.65~M_\odot, 2~M_{\rm J})$ for KMT-2018-BLG-1976L, $\sim (0.69~M_\odot, 1~M_{\rm J})$ for KMT-2018-BLG-1996L, and $\sim (0.80~M_\odot, 14~M_{\rm J})$ for OGLE-2019-BLG-0954L. The estimated distance to OGLE-2019-BLG-0954L, $3.63^{+1.22}_{-1.64}$~kpc, indicates that it is located in the disk, and the brightness expected from the mass and distance matches well the brightness of the blend, indicating that the lens accounts for most of the blended flux. The lens of OGLE-2019-BLG-0954 could be resolved from the source by conducting high-resolution follow-up observations in and after 2024.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

KMT-2019-BLG-1715: planetary microlensing event with three lens masses and two source stars

We investigate the gravitational microlensing event KMT-2019-BLG-1715, of which light curve shows two short-term anomalies from a caustic-crossing binary-lensing light curve: one with a large deviation and the other with a small deviation. We identify five pairs of solutions, in which the anomalies are explained by adding an extra lens or source component in addition to the base binary-lens model. We resolve the degeneracies by applying a method, in which the measured flux ratio between the first and second source stars is compared with the flux ratio deduced from the ratio of the source radii. Applying this method leaves a single pair of viable solutions, in both of which the major anomaly is generated by a planetary-mass third body of the lens, and the minor anomaly is generated by a faint second source. A Bayesian analysis indicates that the lens comprises three masses: a planet-mass object with $\sim 2.6~M_{\rm J}$ and binary stars of K and M dwarfs lying in the galactic disk. We point out the possibility that the lens is the blend, and this can be verified by conducting high-resolution followup imaging for the resolution of the lens from the source.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

An Earth-mass Planet in a Time of Covid-19: KMT-2020-BLG-0414Lb

We report the discovery of KMT-2020-BLG-0414Lb, with a planet-to-host mass ratio $q_2 = 0.9$--$1.2 \times 10^{-5} = 3$--$4~q_{\oplus}$ at $1σ$, which is the lowest mass-ratio microlensing planet to date. Together with two other recent discoveries ($4 \lesssim q/q_\oplus \lesssim 6$), it fills out the previous empty sector at the bottom of the triangular $(\log s, \log q)$ diagram, where $s$ is the planet-host separation in units of the angular Einstein radius $θ_{\rm E}$. Hence, these discoveries call into question the existence, or at least the strength, of the break in the mass-ratio function that was previously suggested to account for the paucity of very low-$q$ planets. Due to the extreme magnification of the event, $A_{\rm max}\sim 1450$ for the underlying single-lens event, its light curve revealed a second companion with $q_3 \sim 0.05$ and $|\log s_3| \sim 1$, i.e., a factor $\sim 10$ closer to or farther from the host in projection. The measurements of the microlens parallax $π_{\rm E}$ and the angular Einstein radius $θ_{\rm E}$ allow estimates of the host, planet, and second companion masses, $(M_1, M_2, M_3) \sim (0.3M_{\odot}, 1.0M_{\oplus}, 17M_{J})$, the planet and second companion projected separations, $(a_{\perp,2}, a_{\perp,3}) \sim (1.5, 0.15~{\rm or}~15)$~au, and system distance $D_{\rm L} \sim 1$ kpc. The lens could account for most or all of the blended light ($I \sim 19.3$) and so can be studied immediately with high-resolution photometric and spectroscopic observations that can further clarify the nature of the system. The planet was found as part of a new program of high-cadence follow-up observations of high-magnification events. The detection of this planet, despite the considerable difficulties imposed by Covid-19 (two KMT sites and OGLE were shut down), illustrates the potential utility of this program.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

OGLE-2018-BLG-1428Lb: a Jupiter-mass planet beyond the snow line of a dwarf star

We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2018-BLG-1428, which has a short-duration ($\sim 1$ day) caustic-crossing anomaly. The event was caused by a planetary lens system with planet/host mass ratio $q=1.7\times10^{-3}$. Thanks to the detection of the caustic-crossing anomaly, the finite source effect was well measured, but the microlens parallax was not constrained due to the relatively short timescale ($t_{\rm E}=24$ days). From a Bayesian analysis, we find that the host star is a dwarf star $M_{\rm host}=0.43^{+0.33}_{-0.22} \ M_{\odot}$ at a distance $D_{\rm L}=6.22^{+1.03}_{-1.51}\ {\rm kpc}$ and the planet is a Jovian-mass planet $M_{\rm p}=0.77^{+0.77}_{-0.53} \ M_{\rm J}$ with a projected separation $a_{\perp}=3.30^{+0.59}_{-0.83}\ {\rm au}$. The planet orbits beyond the snow line of the host star. Considering the relative lens-source proper motion of $μ_{\rm rel} = 5.58 \pm 0.38\ \rm mas\ yr^{-1}$, the lens can be resolved by adaptive optics with a 30m telescope in the future.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

OGLE-2017-BLG-1049: Another giant planet microlensing event

We report a giant exoplanet discovery in the microlensing event OGLE-2017-BLG-1049, which is a planet-host star mass ratio of $q=9.53\pm0.39\times10^{-3}$ and has a caustic crossing feature in the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) observations. The caustic crossing feature yields an angular Einstein radius of $θ_{\rm E}=0.52 \pm 0.11\ {\rm mas}$. However, the microlens parallax is not measured because of the time scale of the event $t_{\rm E}\simeq 29\ {\rm days}$, which is not long enough in this case to determine the microlens parallax. Thus, we perform a Bayesian analysis to estimate physical quantities of the lens system. From this, we find that the lens system has a star with mass $M_{\rm h}=0.55^{+0.36}_{-0.29} \ M_{\odot}$ hosting a giant planet with $M_{\rm p}=5.53^{+3.62}_{-2.87} \ M_{\rm Jup}$, at a distance of $D_{\rm L}=5.67^{+1.11}_{-1.52}\ {\rm kpc}$. The projected star-planet separation in units of the Einstein radius $(θ_{\rm E})$ corresponding to the total mass of the lens system is $a_{\perp}=3.92^{+1.10}_{-1.32}\ \rm{au}$. This means that the planet is located beyond the snow line of the host. The relative lens-source proper motion is $μ_{\rm rel}\sim 7 \ \rm{mas \ yr^{-1}}$, thus the lens and source will be separated from each other within 10 years. Then the flux of the host star can be measured by a 30m class telescope with high-resolution imaging in the future, and thus its mass can be determined.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

OGLE-2018-BLG-0567Lb and OGLE-2018-BLG-0962Lb: Two Microlensing Planets through Planetary-Caustic Channel

We present the analyses of two microlensing events, OGLE-2018-BLG-0567 and OGLE-2018-BLG-0962. In both events, the short-lasting anomalies were densely and continuously covered by two high-cadence surveys. The light-curve modeling indicates that the anomalies are generated by source crossings over the planetary caustics induced by planetary companions to the hosts. The estimated planet/host separation (scaled to the angular Einstein radius $θ_{\rm E}$) and mass ratio are $(s, q) = (1.81, 1.24\times10^{-3})$ and $(s, q) = (1.25, 2.38\times10^{-3})$, respectively. From Bayesian analyses, we estimate the host and planet masses as $(M_{\rm h}, M_{\rm p}) = (0.24_{-0.13}^{+0.16}\,M_{\odot}, 0.32_{-0.16}^{+0.34}\,M_{\rm J})$ and $(M_{\rm h}, M_{\rm p}) = (0.55_{-0.29}^{+0.32}\,M_{\odot}, 1.37_{-0.72}^{+0.80}\,M_{\rm J})$, respectively. These planetary systems are located at a distance of $7.07_{-1.15}^{+0.93}\,{\rm kpc}$ for OGLE-2018-BLG-0567 and $6.47_{-1.73}^{+1.04}\,{\rm kpc}$ for OGLE-2018-BLG-0962, suggesting that they are likely to be near the Galactic bulge. The two events prove the capability of current high-cadence surveys for finding planets through the planetary-caustic channel. We find that most published planetary-caustic planets are found in Hollywood events in which the source size strongly contributes to the anomaly cross section relative to the size of the caustic.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

KMT-2018-BLG-1025Lb: microlensing super-Earth planet orbiting a low-mass star

We aim to find missing microlensing planets hidden in the unanalyzed lensing events of previous survey data. For this purpose, we conduct a systematic inspection of high-magnification microlensing events, with peak magnifications $A_{\rm peak}\gtrsim 30$, in the data collected from high-cadence surveys in and before the 2018 season. From this investigation, we identify an anomaly in the lensing light curve of the event KMT-2018-BLG-1025. The analysis of the light curve indicates that the anomaly is caused by a very low mass-ratio companion to the lens. We identify three degenerate solutions, in which the ambiguity between a pair of solutions (solutions B) is caused by the previously known close--wide degeneracy, and the degeneracy between these and the other solution (solution A) is a new type that has not been reported before. The estimated mass ratio between the planet and host is $q\sim 0.8\times 10^{-4}$ for the solution A and $q\sim 1.6\times 10^{-4}$ for the solutions B. From the Bayesian analysis conducted with measured observables, we estimate that the masses of the planet and host and the distance to the lens are $(M_{\rm p}, M_{\rm h}, D_{\rm L})\sim (6.1~M_\oplus, 0.22~M_\odot, 6.7~{\rm kpc})$ for the solution A and $\sim (4.4~M_\oplus, 0.08~M_\odot, 7.5~{\rm kpc})$ for the solutions B. The planet mass is in the category of a super-Earth regardless of the solutions, making the planet the eleventh super-Earth planet, with masses lying between those of Earth and the Solar system's ice giants, discovered by microlensing.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

KMT-2019-BLG-0797: binary-lensing event occurring on a binary stellar system

We analyze the microlensing event KMT-2019-BLG-0797. The light curve of the event exhibits two anomalous features from a single-lens single-source model, and we aim to reveal the nature of the anomaly. It is found that a model with two lenses plus a single source (2L1S model) can explain one feature of the anomaly, but the other feature cannot be explained. We test various models and find that both anomalous features can be explained by introducing an extra source to a 2L1S model (2L2S model), making the event the third confirmed case of a 2L2S event, following on MOA-2010-BLG-117 and OGLE-2016-BLG-1003. It is estimated that the extra source comprises $\sim 4\%$ of the $I$-band flux from the primary source. Interpreting the event is subject to a close--wide degeneracy. According to the close solution, the lens is a binary consisting of two brown dwarfs with masses $(M_1, M_2)\sim (0.034, 0.021)~M_\odot$, and it is located at a distance of $\dl\sim 8.2$~kpc. According to the wide solution, on the other hand, the lens is composed of an object at the star/brown-dwarf boundary and an M dwarf with masses $(M_1, M_2)\sim (0.06, 0.33)~M_\odot$ located at $\dl\sim 7.7$~kpc. The source is composed of a late-G-dwarf/early-K-dwarf primary and an early-to-mid M-dwarf companion.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

KMT-2019-BLG-0371 and the Limits of Bayesian Analysis

We show that the perturbation at the peak of the light curve of microlensing event KMT-2019-BLG-0371 is explained by a model with a mass ratio between the host star and planet of $q \sim 0.08$. Due to the short event duration ($t_{\rm E} \sim 6.5\ $ days), the secondary object in this system could potentially be a massive giant planet. A Bayesian analysis shows that the system most likely consists of a host star with a mass $M_{\rm h} = 0.09^{+0.14}_{-0.05}M_{\odot}$ and a massive giant planet with a mass $M_{\rm p} = 7.70^{+11.34}_{-3.90}M_{\rm Jup}$. However, the interpretation of the secondary as a planet (i.e., as having $M_{\rm p} < 13 M_{\rm Jup}$) rests entirely on the Bayesian analysis. Motivated by this event, we conduct an investigation to determine which constraints meaningfully affect Bayesian analyses for microlensing events. We find that the masses inferred from such a Bayesian analysis are determined almost entirely by the measured value of $θ_{\rm E}$ and are relatively insensitive to other factors such as the direction of the event $(\ell, b)$, the lens-source relative proper motion $μ_{\rm rel}$, or the specific Galactic model prior.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

OGLE-2019-BLG-0960Lb: The Smallest Microlensing Planet

We report the analysis of OGLE-2019-BLG-0960, which contains the smallest mass-ratio microlensing planet found to date (q = 1.2--1.6 x 10^{-5} at 1-sigma). Although there is substantial uncertainty in the satellite parallax measured by Spitzer, the measurement of the annual parallax effect combined with the finite source effect allows us to determine the mass of the host star (M_L = 0.3--0.6 M_Sun), the mass of its planet (m_p = 1.4--3.1 M_Earth), the projected separation between the host and planet (a_perp = 1.2--2.3 au), and the distance to the lens system (D_L = 0.6--1.2 kpc). The lens is plausibly the blend, which could be checked with adaptive optics observations. As the smallest planet clearly below the break in the mass-ratio function (Suzuki et al. 2016; Jung et al. 2019), it demonstrates that current experiments are powerful enough to robustly measure the slope of the mass-ratio function below that break. We find that the cross-section for detecting small planets is maximized for planets with separations just outside of the boundary for resonant caustics and that sensitivity to such planets can be maximized by intensively monitoring events whenever they are magnified by a factor A > 5. Finally, an empirical investigation demonstrates that most planets showing a degeneracy between (s > 1) and (s < 1) solutions are not in the regime (|log s| >> 0) for which the "close"/"wide" degeneracy was derived. This investigation suggests a link between the "close"/"wide" and "inner/outer" degeneracies and also that the symmetry in the lens equation goes much deeper than symmetries uncovered for the limiting cases.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2020

KMT-2017-BLG-2820 and the Nature of the Free-Floating Planet Population

We report a new free-floating planet (FFP) candidate, KMT-2017-BLG-2820, with Einstein radius $θ_\e\simeq 6\,\muas$, lens-source relative proper motion $μ_\rel \simeq 8\,\masyr$, and Einstein timescale $t_\e=6.5\,$hr. It is the third FFP candidate found in an ongoing study of giant-source finite-source point-lens (FSPL) events in the KMTNet data base, and the sixth FSPL FFP candidate overall. We find no significant evidence for a host. Based on their timescale distributions and detection rates, we argue that five of these six FSPL FFP candidates are drawn from the same population as the six point-source point-lens (PSPL) FFP candidates found by \citet{mroz17} in the OGLE-IV data base. The $θ_\e$ distribution of the FSPL FFPs implies that they are either sub-Jovian planets in the bulge or super-Earths in the disk. However, the apparent "Einstein Desert" ($10\laθ_\e/\muas\la 30$) would argue for the latter. Whether each of the 12 (6 FSPL and 6 PSPL) FFP candidates is truly an FFP, or simply a very wide-separation planet, can be determined at first adaptive optics (AO) light on 30m telescopes, and earlier for some. If the latter, a second epoch of AO observations could measure the projected planet-host separation with a precision ${\cal O}(10\,\au)$. At the present time, the balance of evidence favors the unbound-planet hypothesis.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2020

KMT-2019-BLG-0842Lb: A Cold Planet Below the Uranus/Sun Mass Ratio

We report the discovery of a cold planet with a very low planet/host mass ratio of $q=(4.09\pm0.27) \times 10^{-5}$, which is similar to the ratio of Uranus/Sun ($q=4.37 \times 10^{-5}$) in the Solar system. The Bayesian estimates for the host mass, planet mass, system distance, and planet-host projected separation are $M_{\rm host}=0.76\pm 0.40 M_\odot$, $M_{\rm planet}=10.3\pm 5.5 M_\oplus$, $D_{\rm L} = 3.3\pm1.3\,{\rm kpc}$, and $a_\perp = 3.3\pm 1.4\,{\rm au}$, respectively. The consistency of the color and brightness expected from the estimated lens mass and distance with those of the blend suggests the possibility that the most blended light comes from the planet host, and this hypothesis can be established if high resolution images are taken during the next (2020) bulge season. We discuss the importance of conducting optimized photometry and aggressive follow-up observations for moderately or very high magnification events to maximize the detection rate of planets with very low mass ratios.

astro-ph.EP↗