arXiv subjects

S. Calchi Novati

Publications and source records attributed to S. Calchi Novati.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

OGLE-2014-BLG-0289: Precise Characterization of a Quintuple-Peak Gravitational Microlensing Event

We present the analysis of the binary-microlensing event OGLE-2014-BLG-0289. The event light curve exhibits very unusual five peaks where four peaks were produced by caustic crossings and the other peak was produced by a cusp approach. It is found that the quintuple-peak features of the light curve provide tight constraints on the source trajectory, enabling us to precisely and accurately measure the microlensing parallax $π_{\rm E}$. Furthermore, the three resolved caustics allow us to measure the angular Einstein radius $\thetae$. From the combination of $π_{\rm E}$ and $\thetae$, the physical lens parameters are uniquely determined. It is found that the lens is a binary composed of two M dwarfs with masses $M_1 = 0.52 \pm 0.04\ M_\odot$ and $M_2=0.42 \pm 0.03\ M_\odot$ separated in projection by $a_\perp = 6.4 \pm 0.5$ au. The lens is located in the disk with a distance of $D_{\rm L} = 3.3 \pm 0.3$~kpc. It turns out that the reason for the absence of a lensing signal in the {\it Spitzer} data is that the time of observation corresponds to the flat region of the light curve.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb: First Spitzer Bulge Planet Lies Near the Planet/Brown-Dwarf Boundary

We report the discovery of OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, which is likely to be the first Spitzer microlensing planet in the Galactic bulge/bar, an assignation that can be confirmed by two epochs of high-resolution imaging of the combined source-lens baseline object. The planet's mass M_p= 13.4+-0.9 M_J places it right at the deuterium burning limit, i.e., the conventional boundary between "planets" and "brown dwarfs". Its existence raises the question of whether such objects are really "planets" (formed within the disks of their hosts) or "failed stars" (low mass objects formed by gas fragmentation). This question may ultimately be addressed by comparing disk and bulge/bar planets, which is a goal of the Spitzer microlens program. The host is a G dwarf M_host = 0.89+-0.07 M_sun and the planet has a semi-major axis a~2.0 AU. We use Kepler K2 Campaign 9 microlensing data to break the lens-mass degeneracy that generically impacts parallax solutions from Earth-Spitzer observations alone, which is the first successful application of this approach. The microlensing data, derived primarily from near-continuous, ultra-dense survey observations from OGLE, MOA, and three KMTNet telescopes, contain more orbital information than for any previous microlensing planet, but not quite enough to accurately specify the full orbit. However, these data do permit the first rigorous test of microlensing orbital-motion measurements, which are typically derived from data taken over <1% of an orbital period.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

OGLE-2017-BLG-0173Lb: Low Mass-Ratio Planet in a "Hollywood" Microlensing Event

We present microlensing planet OGLE-2017-BLG-0173Lb, with planet-host mass ratio either $q\simeq 2.5\times 10^{-5}$ or $q\simeq 6.5\times 10^{-5}$, the lowest or among the lowest ever detected. The planetary perturbation is strongly detected, $Δχ^2\sim 10,000$, because it arises from a bright (therefore, large) source passing over and enveloping the planetary caustic: a so-called "Hollywood" event. The factor $\sim 2.5$ offset in $q$ arises because of a previously unrecognized discrete degeneracy between Hollywood events in which the caustic is fully enveloped and those in which only one flank is enveloped, which we dub "Cannae" and "von Schlieffen", respectively. This degeneracy is "accidental" in that it arises from gaps in the data. Nevertheless, the fact that it appears in a $Δχ^2=10,000$ planetary anomaly is striking. We present a simple formalism to estimate the sensitivity of other Hollywood events to planets and show that they can lead to detections close to, but perhaps not quite reaching, the Earth/Sun mass ratio of $3\times 10^{-6}$. This formalism also enables an analytic understanding of the factor $\sim 2.5$ offset in $q$ between the Cannae and von Schlieffen solutions. The Bayesian estimates for the host-mass, system distance, and planet-host projected separation are $M=0.39^{+0.40}_{-0.24}\,M_\odot$, $D_L=4.8^{+1.5}_{-1.8}\,\kpc$, and $a_\perp=3.8\pm 1.6\,\au$. The two estimates of the planet mass are $m_p=3.3^{+3.8}_{-2.1}\,M_\oplus$ and $m_p=8^{+11}_{-6}\,M_\oplus$. The measured lens-source relative proper motion $μ=6\,\masyr$ will permit imaging of the lens in about 15 years or at first light on adaptive-optics imagers on next-generation telescopes. These will allow to measure the host mass but probably cannot resolve the planet-host mass-ratio degeneracy.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

Toward a Galactic Distribution of Planets. I. Methodology & Planet Sensitivities of the 2015 High-Cadence Spitzer Microlens Sample

We analyze an ensemble of microlensing events from the 2015 Spitzer microlensing campaign, all of which were densely monitored by ground-based high-cadence survey teams. The simultaneous observations from Spitzer and the ground yield measurements of the microlensing parallax vector $π_{\rm E}$, from which compact constraints on the microlens properties are derived, including $\lesssim$25\% uncertainties on the lens mass and distance. With the current sample, we demonstrate that the majority of microlenses are indeed in the mass range of M dwarfs. The planet sensitivities of all 41 events in the sample are calculated, from which we provide constraints on the planet distribution function. In particular, assuming a planet distribution function that is uniform in $\log{q}$, where $q$ is the planet-to-star mass ratio, we find a $95\%$ upper limit on the fraction of stars that host typical microlensing planets of 49\%, which is consistent with previous studies. Based on this planet-free sample, we develop the methodology to statistically study the Galactic distribution of planets using microlensing parallax measurements. Under the assumption that the planet distributions are the same in the bulge as in the disk, we predict that $\sim$1/3 of all planet detections from the microlensing campaigns with Spitzer should be in the bulge. This prediction will be tested with a much larger sample, and deviations from it can be used to constrain the abundance of planets in the bulge relative to the disk.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

OGLE-2016-BLG-0613LABb: A Microlensing Planet in a Binary System

We present the analysis of OGLE-2016-BLG-0613, for which the lensing light curve appears to be that of a typical binary-lens event with two caustic spikes but with a discontinuous feature on the trough between the spikes. We find that the discontinuous feature was produced by a planetary companion to the binary lens. We find 4 degenerate triple-lens solution classes, each composed of a pair of solutions according to the well-known wide/close planetary degeneracy. One of these solution classes is excluded due to its relatively poor fit. For the remaining three pairs of solutions, the most-likely primary mass is about $M_1\sim 0.7\,M_\odot$ while the planet is a super-Jupiter. In all cases the system lies in the Galactic disk, about half-way toward the Galactic bulge. However, in one of these three solution classes, the secondary of the binary system is a low-mass brown dwarf, with relative mass ratios (1 : 0.03 : 0.003), while in the two others the masses of the binary components are comparable. These two possibilities can be distinguished in about 2024 when the measured lens-source relative proper motion will permit separate resolution of the lens and source.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

An Isolated Microlens Observed from K2, Spitzer and Earth

We present the result of microlensing event MOA-2016-BLG-290, which received observations from the two-wheel Kepler (K2), Spitzer, as well as ground-based observatories. A joint analysis of data from K2 and the ground leads to two degenerate solutions of the lens mass and distance. This degeneracy is effectively broken once the (partial) Spitzer light curve is included. Altogether, the lens is found to be an extremely low-mass star located in the Galactic bulge. MOA-2016-BLG-290 is the first microlensing event for which we have signals from three well-separated ($\sim1$ AU) locations. It demonstrates the power of two-satellite microlensing experiment in reducing the ambiguity of lens properties, as pointed out independently by S. Refsdal and A. Gould several decades ago.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

Ground-based parallax confirmed by Spitzer: binary microlensing event MOA-2015-BLG-020

We present the analysis of the binary gravitational microlensing event MOA-2015-BLG-020. The event has a fairly long timescale (about 63 days) and thus the light curve deviates significantly from the lensing model that is based on the rectilinear lens-source relative motion. This enables us to measure the microlensing parallax through the annual parallax effect. The microlensing parallax parameters constrained by the ground-based data are confirmed by the Spitzer observations through the satellite parallax method. By additionally measuring the angular Einstein radius from the analysis of the resolved caustic crossing, the physical parameters of the lens are determined. It is found that the binary lens is composed of two dwarf stars with masses $M_1 = 0.606 \pm 0.028M_\odot$ and $M_2 = 0.125 \pm 0.006M_\odot$ in the Galactic disk. Assuming the source star is at the same distance as the bulge red clump stars, we find the lens is at a distance $D_L = 2.44 \pm 0.10 kpc$. In the end, we provide a summary and short discussion of all published microlensing events in which the annual parallax effect is confirmed by other independent observations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

OGLE-2016-BLG-0168 Binary Microlensing Event: Prediction and Confirmation of the Micorlens Parallax Effect from Space-based Observation

The microlens parallax is a crucial observable for conclusively identifying the nature of lens systems in microlensing events containing or composed of faint (even dark) astronomical objects such as planets, neutron stars, brown dwarfs, and black holes. With the commencement of a new era of microlensing in collaboration with space-based observations, the microlens parallax can be routinely measured. In addition, space-based observations can provide opportunities to verify the microlens parallax measured from ground-only observations and to find a unique solution of the lensing lightcurve analysis. However, since most space-based observations cannot cover the full lightcurves of lensing events, it is also necessary to verify the reliability of the information extracted from fragmentary space-based lightcurves. We conduct a test based on the microlensing event OGLE-2016-BLG-0168 created by a binary lens system consisting of almost equal mass M-dwarf stars to demonstrate that it is possible to verify the microlens parallax and to resolve degeneracies by using the space-based lightcurve even though the observations are fragmentary. Since space-based observatories will frequently produce fragmentary lightcurves due to their short observing windows, the methodology of this test will be useful for next-generation microlensing experiments that combine space-based and ground-based collaboration.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

OGLE-2014-BLG-1112LB: A Microlensing Brown Dwarf Detected Through the Channel of a Gravitational Binary-Lens Event

Due to the nature depending on only the gravitational field, microlensing, in principle, provides an important tool to detect faint and even dark brown dwarfs. However, the number of identified brown dwarfs is limited due to the difficulty of the lens mass measurement that is needed to check the substellar nature of the lensing object. In this work, we report a microlensing brown dwarf discovered from the analysis of the gravitational binary-lens event OGLE-2014-BLG-1112. We identify the brown-dwarf nature of the lens companion by measuring the lens mass from the detections of both microlens-parallax and finite-source effects. We find that the companion has a mass of $(3.03 \pm 0.78)\times 10^{-2}\ M_\odot$ and it is orbiting a solar-type primary star with a mass of $1.07 \pm 0.28\ M_\odot$. The estimated projected separation between the lens components is $9.63 \pm 1.33$ au and the distance to the lens is $4.84 \pm 0.67$ kpc. We discuss the usefulness of space-based microlensing observations in detecting brown dwarfs through the channel of binary-lens events.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

An Earth-mass Planet in a 1-AU Orbit around an Ultracool Dwarf

We combine $Spitzer$ and ground-based KMTNet microlensing observations to identify and precisely measure an Earth-mass ($1.43^{+0.45}_{-0.32} M_\oplus$) planet OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb at $1.16^{+0.16}_{-0.13}$ AU orbiting a $0.078^{+0.016}_{-0.012} M_\odot$ ultracool dwarf. This is the lowest-mass microlensing planet to date. At $3.91^{+0.42}_{-0.46}$ kpc, it is the third consecutive case among the $Spitzer$ "Galactic distribution" planets toward the Galactic bulge that lies in the Galactic disk as opposed to the bulge itself, hinting at a skewed distribution of planets. Together with previous microlensing discoveries, the seven Earth-size planets orbiting the ultracool dwarf TRAPPIST-1, and the detection of disks around young brown dwarfs, OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb suggests that such planets might be common around ultracool dwarfs. It therefore sheds light on the formation of both ultracool dwarfs and planetary systems at the limit of low-mass protoplanetary disks.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

OGLE-2015-BLG-1482L: the first isolated low-mass microlens in the Galactic bulge

We analyze the single microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1482 simultaneously observed from two ground-based surveys and from \textit{Spitzer}. The \textit{Spitzer} data exhibit finite-source effects due to the passage of the lens close to or directly over the surface of the source star as seen from \textit{Spitzer}. Such finite-source effects generally yield measurements of the angular Einstein radius, which when combined with the microlens parallax derived from a comparison between the ground-based and the \textit{Spitzer} light curves, yields the lens mass and lens-source relative parallax. From this analysis, we find that the lens of OGLE-2015-BLG-1482 is a very low-mass star with the mass $0.10 \pm 0.02 \ M_\odot$ or a brown dwarf with the mass $55\pm 9 \ M_{J}$, which are respectively located at $D_{\rm LS} = 0.80 \pm 0.19\ \textrm{kpc}$ and $ D_{\rm LS} = 0.54 \pm 0.08\ \textrm{kpc}$, and thus it is the first isolated low-mass microlens that has been decisively located in the Galactic bulge. The fundamental reason for the degeneracy is that the finite-source effect is seen only in a single data point from \textit{Spitzer} and this single data point gives rise to two solutions for $ρ$. Because the $ρ$ degeneracy can be resolved only by relatively high cadence observations around the peak, while the \textit{Spitzer} cadence is typically $\sim 1\,{\rm day}^{-1}$, we expect that events for which the finite-source effect is seen only in the \textit{Spitzer} data may frequently exhibit this $ρ$ degeneracy. For OGLE-2015-BLG-1482, the relative proper motion of the lens and source for the low-mass star is $μ_{\rm rel} = 9.0 \pm 1.9\ \textrm{mas yr$^{-1}$}$, while for the brown dwarf it is $5.5 \pm 0.5\ \textrm{mas yr$^{-1}$}$. Hence, the degeneracy can be resolved within $\sim 10\ \rm yrs$ from direct lens imaging by using next-generation instruments with high spatial resolution.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

Faint source star planetary microlensing: the discovery of the cold gas giant planet OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb

We report the discovery of a planet --- OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb --- via gravitational microlensing. Observations for the lensing event were made by the MOA, OGLE, Wise, RoboNET/LCOGT, MiNDSTEp and $μ$FUN groups. All analyses of the light curve data favour a lens system comprising a planetary mass orbiting a host star. The most favoured binary lens model has a mass ratio between the two lens masses of $(4.78 \pm 0.13)\times 10^{-3}$. Subject to some important assumptions, a Bayesian probability density analysis suggests the lens system comprises a $3.09_{-1.12}^{+1.02}$ M_jup planet orbiting a $0.62_{-0.22}^{+0.20}$ M_sun host star at a deprojected orbital separation of $4.40_{-1.46}^{+2.16}$ AU. The distance to the lens system is $2.22_{-0.83}^{+0.96}$ kpc. Planet OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb provides additional data to the growing number of cool planets discovered using gravitational microlensing against which planetary formation theories may be tested. Most of the light in the baseline of this event is expected to come from the lens and thus high-resolution imaging observations could confirm our planetary model interpretation.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

OGLE-2015-BLG-0196: Ground-based Gravitational Microlens Parallax Confirmed By Space-Based Observation

In this paper, we present the analysis of the binary gravitational microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0196. The event lasted for almost a year and the light curve exhibited significant deviations from the lensing model based on the rectilinear lens-source relative motion, enabling us to measure the microlens parallax. The ground-based microlens parallax is confirmed by the data obtained from space-based microlens observations using the {\it Spitzer} telescope. By additionally measuring the angular Einstein radius from the analysis of the resolved caustic crossing, the physical parameters of the lens are determined up to the two-fold degeneracy: $u_0<0$ and $u_0>0$ solutions caused by the well-known "ecliptic" degeneracy. It is found that the binary lens is composed of two M dwarf stars with similar masses $M_1=0.38\pm 0.04\ M_\odot$ ($0.50\pm 0.05\ M_\odot)$ and $M_2=0.38\pm 0.04\ M_\odot$ ($0.55\pm 0.06\ M_\odot$) and the distance to the lens is $D_{\rm L}=2.77\pm 0.23$ kpc ($3.30\pm 0.29$ kpc). Here the physical parameters out and in the parenthesis are for the $u_0<0$ and $u_0>0$ solutions, respectively.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

MiNDSTEp differential photometry of the gravitationally lensed quasars WFI2033-4723 and HE0047-1756: Microlensing and a new time delay

We present V and R photometry of the gravitationally lensed quasars WFI2033-4723 and HE0047-1756. The data were taken by the MiNDSTEp collaboration with the 1.54 m Danish telescope at the ESO La Silla observatory from 2008 to 2012. Differential photometry has been carried out using the image subtraction method as implemented in the HOTPAnTS package, additionally using GALFIT for quasar photometry. The quasar WFI2033-4723 showed brightness variations of order 0.5 mag in V and R during the campaign. The two lensed components of quasar HE0047-1756 varied by 0.2-0.3 mag within five years. We provide, for the first time, an estimate of the time delay of component B with respect to A of $Δt= 7.6\pm1.8$ days for this object. We also find evidence for a secular evolution of the magnitude difference between components A and B in both filters, which we explain as due to a long-duration microlensing event. Finally we find that both quasars WFI2033-4723 and HE0047-1756 become bluer when brighter, which is consistent with previous studies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Orbital alignment and starspot properties in the WASP-52 planetary system

We report 13 high-precision light curves of eight transits of the exoplanet WASP-52b, obtained by using four medium-class telescopes, through different filters, and adopting the defocussing technique. One transit was recorded simultaneously from two different observatories and another one from the same site but with two different instruments, including a multi-band camera. Anomalies were clearly detected in five light curves and modelled as starspots occulted by the planet during the transit events. We fitted the clean light curves with the jktebop code, and those with the anomalies with the prism+gemc codes in order to simultaneously model the photometric parameters of the transits and the position, size and contrast of each starspot. We used these new light curves and some from the literature to revise the physical properties of the WASP-52 system. Starspots with similar characteristics were detected in four transits over a period of 43 days. In the hypothesis that we are dealing with the same starspot, periodically occulted by the transiting planet, we estimated the projected orbital obliquity of WASP-52b to be lambda = 3.8 \pm 8.4 degree. We also determined the true orbital obliquity, psi = 20 \pm 50 degree, which is, although very uncertain, the first measurement of psi purely from starspot crossings. We finally assembled an optical transmission spectrum of the planet and searched for variations of its radius as a function of wavelength. Our analysis suggests a flat transmission spectrum within the experimental uncertainties.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

OGLE-2015-BLG-0479LA,B: Binary Gravitational Microlens Characterized by Simultaneous Ground-based and Space-based Observation

We present a combined analysis of the observations of the gravitational microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0479 taken both from the ground and by the {\it Spitzer Space Telescope}. The light curves seen from the ground and from space exhibit a time offset of $\sim 13$ days between the caustic spikes, indicating that the relative lens-source positions seen from the two places are displaced by parallax effects. From modeling the light curves, we measure the space-based microlens parallax. Combined with the angular Einstein radius measured by analyzing the caustic crossings, we determine the mass and distance of the lens. We find that the lens is a binary composed of two G-type stars with masses $\sim 1.0\ M_\odot$ and $\sim 0.9\ M_\odot$ located at a distance $\sim 3$ kpc. In addition, we are able to constrain the complete orbital parameters of the lens thanks to the precise measurement of the microlens parallax derived from the joint analysis. In contrast to the binary event OGLE-2014-BLG-1050, which was also observed by {\it Spitzer}, we find that the interpretation of OGLE-2015-BLG-0479 does not suffer from the degeneracy between $(\pm,\pm)$ and $(\pm,\mp)$ solutions, confirming that the four-fold parallax degeneracy in single-lens events collapses into the two-fold degeneracy for the general case of binary-lens events. The location of the blend in the color-magnitude diagram is consistent with the lens properties, suggesting that the blend is the lens itself. The blend is bright enough for spectroscopy and thus this possibility can be checked from future follow-up observations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

First simultaneous microlensing observations by two space telescopes: $Spitzer$ & $Swift$ reveal a brown dwarf in event OGLE-2015-BLG-1319

Simultaneous observations of microlensing events from multiple locations allow for the breaking of degeneracies between the physical properties of the lensing system, specifically by exploring different regions of the lens plane and by directly measuring the "microlens parallax". We report the discovery of a 30-55$M_J$ brown dwarf orbiting a K dwarf in microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1319. The system is located at a distance of $\sim$5 kpc toward the Galactic bulge. The event was observed by several ground-based groups as well as by $Spitzer$ and $Swift$, allowing the measurement of the physical properties. However, the event is still subject to an 8-fold degeneracy, in particular the well-known close-wide degeneracy, and thus the projected separation between the two lens components is either $\sim$0.25 AU or $\sim$45 AU. This is the first microlensing event observed by $Swift$, with the UVOT camera. We study the region of microlensing parameter space to which $Swift$ is sensitive, finding that while for this event $Swift$ could not measure the microlens parallax with respect to ground-based observations, it can be important for other events. Specifically, for detecting nearby brown dwarfs and free-floating planets in high magnification events.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

Many new variable stars discovered in the core of the globular cluster NGC 6715 (M54) with EMCCD observations

We show the benefits of using Electron-Multiplying CCDs and the shift-and-add technique as a tool to minimise the effects of the atmospheric turbulence such as blending between stars in crowded fields and to avoid saturated stars in the fields observed. We intend to complete, or improve, the census of the variable star population in globular cluster NGC~6715. Our aim is to obtain high-precision time-series photometry of the very crowded central region of this stellar system via the collection of better angular resolution images than has been previously achieved with conventional CCDs on ground-based telescopes. Observations were carried out using the Danish 1.54-m Telescope at the ESO La Silla observatory in Chile. The telescope is equipped with an Electron-Multiplying CCD that allowed to obtain short-exposure-time images (ten images per second) that were stacked using the shift-and-add technique to produce the normal-exposure-time images (minutes). The high precision photometry was performed via difference image analysis employing the DanDIA pipeline. We attempted automatic detection of variable stars in the field. We statistically analysed the light curves of 1405 stars in the crowded central region of NGC~6715 to automatically identify the variable stars present in this cluster. We found light curves for 17 previously known variable stars near the edges of our reference image (16 RR Lyrae and 1 semi-regular) and we discovered 67 new variables (30 RR Lyrae, 21 long-period irregular, 3 semi-regular, 1 W Virginis, 1 eclipsing binary, and 11 unclassified). Photometric measurements for these stars are available in electronic form through the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Centre.

astro-ph.SR↗