The detectability of planetary companions of compact Galactic objects from their effects on microlensed light curves of distant stars

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (59) References (15) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The Detectability of Planetary Companions of Compact Galactic Objects from Their Effects on Microlensed Light Curves of Distant Stars Bolatto, Alberto D. ; Falco, Emilio E. Abstract We discuss a possible method for detection of dark companions of galactic objects of stellar mass. Such binary systems are likely to occur in the galactic disk and possibly also in the halo. The high incidence of binary and higher-multiplicity systems in the solar neighborhood, if indicative of the galactic disk at large, implies that current searches for the gravitational microlensing signature of massive compact objects in our galaxy would yield a significant fraction of binary systems. Our calculations suggest that 40% of the lightcurves that will be obtained in such searches may be sufficiently perturbed to reveal, if sufficiently well-sampled, the presence of a compact dark companion of Jovian mass orbiting a primary. The likelihood of occurrence of perturbed lightcurves must also be taken into account by systematic search programs, to improve their event detection efficiency. The statistics of perturbed lensing events, if carefully interpreted, could yield estimates of the incidence of binary systems with low mass ratios, including that of systems with planets. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: November 1994 DOI: 10.1086/174885 arXiv: arXiv:astro-ph/9407030 Bibcode: 1994ApJ...436..112B Keywords: Disk Galaxies; Galactic Halos; Gravitational Lenses; Light Curve; Mathematical Models; Planetary Systems; Binary Stars; Dark Matter; Perturbation; Astronomy; COSMOLOGY: DARK MATTER; GALAXY: HALO; COSMOLOGY: GRAVITATIONAL LENSING; STARS: PLANETARY SYSTEMS; STARS: LOW-MASS; BROWN DWARFS; Astrophysics E-Print: 11 pages, Format: compressed and uuencoded Poscript file (for recovering the original Poscript file run first "uudecode filename" where 'filename' is the name you gave to the file where you stored this message, then "uncompress companion.ps.Z". A file named 'companion.ps' will appear. In case of problem please contact bolatto@bu.edu), Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics preprint# 3891 (to appear in The Astrophysical Journal of November 20, 1994) full text sources arXiv | ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)