Abstract
view Abstract Citations (103) References (27) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Theory of Pixel Lensing Gould, Andrew Abstract Pixel lensing, gravitational microlensing of unresolved stars, is potentially much more sensitive and much more widely applicable than is generally recognized. I give explicit expressions for the pixel noise induced by a time-variable PSF, by photometric and geometric misalignment, and by discrete pixelization, and I show that these can all be reduced below the photon noise. Pixel lensing can be divided into two regimes. In the "semiclassical" regime, it is similar to classical lensing in that it measures the timescale of individual events. In the "spike" regime, it measures the total optical depth but not individual timescales. I present simple expressions for the boundary between the two regimes and for the event rate in the latter one. These expressions can be used to quickly classify all potential pixel lensing experiments. Pixel lensing can measure the luminosity function as well as the mass function of stars in target galaxies to a distance of a few megaparsecs. Future space-based pixel lensing could be ∼5 times more effective in the infrared than in the optical, depending on developments in detector technology. Pixel techniques can also be applied to nonpixel-lensing problems including the search for unresolved variable stars and follow-up observations of lensing events found in classical lensing searches. To benefit fully from pixel-lensing techniques, follow-up observations should have resolutions of at least 5 pixels per FWHM. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: October 1996 DOI: 10.1086/177861 arXiv: arXiv:astro-ph/9509009 Bibcode: 1996ApJ...470..201G Keywords: COSMOLOGY: GRAVITATIONAL LENSING; STARS: FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS; TECHNIQUES: PHOTOMETRIC; Astrophysics E-Print: 31 pages, uuencoded postscript, includes 1 embedded figure. New result (eq. 9.14) shows that noise generated in image differences by PSF variation and pixelization contributes sqrt{8} times less to photometry errors relative to naive empirical estimates full text sources arXiv | ADS | data products SIMBAD (6)
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
