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Shvartzvald, Yossi

Publications and source records attributed to Shvartzvald, Yossi.

Systematic KMTNet Planetary Anomaly Search. I. OGLE-2019-BLG-1053Lb, a Buried Terrestrial Planet

In order to exhume the buried signatures of “missing planetary caustics” in Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) data, we conducted a systematic anomaly search of the residuals from point-source point-lens fits, based on a modified version of the KMTNet EventFinder algorithm. This search revealed the lowest-mass-ratio planetary caustic to date in the microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-1053, for which the planetary signal had not been noticed before. The planetary system has a planet–host mass ratio of q = (1.25 ± 0.13) × 10{sup -5}. A Bayesian analysis yielded estimates of the mass of the host star, M{sub host}=0.61{sub -0.24}{sup +0.29} M{sub ⊙}, the mass of its planet, M{sub planet}=2.48{sub -0.98}{sup +1.19} M{sub ⊕}, the projected planet–host separation, a{sub ⊥}=3.4{sub -0.5}{sup +0.5} au, and the lens distance, D{sub L}=6.8{sub -0.9}{sup +0.6} kpc. The discovery of this very-low-mass-ratio planet illustrates the utility of our method and opens a new window for a large and homogeneous sample to study the microlensing planet–host mass ratio function down to q ~ 10{sup -5}.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

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

With a planet–host mass ratio q = 0.012 ± 0.001, KMT-2016-BLG-2605 has the shortest Einstein timescale, t {sub E} = 3.41 ± 0.13 days, of any planetary microlensing event to date. This prompts us to examine the full sample of seven short (t {sub E} < 7 days) planetary events with good q measurements. We find that six have clustered Einstein radii θ {sub E} = 115 ± 20 μas and lens–source relative proper motions μ {sub rel} ≃ 9.5 ± 2.5 mas yr{sup -1}. 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 (30 m) 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 VLM 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.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

OGLE-2018-BLG-1185b: A Low-mass Microlensing Planet Orbiting a Low-mass Dwarf

We report an analysis of the planetary microlensing event OGLE-2018-BLG-1185, which was observed by a large number of ground-based telescopes and by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The ground-based light curve indicates a low planet–host star mass ratio of q = (6.9 ± 0.2) × 10{sup −5}, which is near the peak of the wide-orbit exoplanet mass-ratio distribution. We estimate the host star and planet masses with a Bayesian analysis using the measured angular Einstein radius under the assumption that stars of all masses have an equal probability of hosting the planet. The flux variation observed by Spitzer is marginal, but still places a constraint on the microlens parallax. Imposing a conservative constraint that this flux variation should be Δf {sub Spz} < 4 instrumental flux units yields a host mass of M{sub host}=0.37{sub −0.21}{sup +0.35} M{sub ⊙} and a planet mass of m{sub p}=8.4{sub −4.7}{sup +7.9} M{sub ⊕}. A Bayesian analysis including the full parallax constraint from Spitzer suggests smaller host star and planet masses of M{sub host}=0.091{sub −0.018}{sup +0.064} M{sub ⊙} and m{sub p}=2.1{sub −0.4}{sup +1.5} M{sub ⊕}, respectively. Future high-resolution imaging observations with the Hubble Space Telescope or Extremely Large Telescope could distinguish between these two scenarios and help reveal the planetary system properties in more detail.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

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 ∼ 0.08. Due to the short event duration (t {sub E} ∼ 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{sub h}=0.09{sub −0.05}{sup +0.14}M{sub ⊙} and a massive giant planet with a mass M{sub p}=7.70{sub −3.90}{sup +11.34}M{sub Jup}. However, the interpretation of the secondary as a planet (i.e., as having M {sub p} < 13M {sub 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 {sub E} and are relatively insensitive to other factors such as the direction of the event (ℓ, b), the lens–source relative proper motion μ {sub rel}, or the specific Galactic model prior.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

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, the light curve of which 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 ∼2.6 M {sub 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 follow-up imaging for the resolution of the lens from the source.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OGLE-2018-BLG-0567Lb and OGLE-2018-BLG-0962Lb: Two Microlensing Planets through the 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 {sub E}) and mass ratio are (s, q × 10{sup 3}) = (1.81 ± 0.02, 1.24 ± 0.07) and (s, q × 10{sup 3}) = (1.25 ± 0.03, 2.38 ± 0.08), respectively. From Bayesian analyses, we estimate the host and planet masses as (M{sub h},M{sub p})=(0.25{sub −0.13}{sup +0.27} M{sub ⊙},0.32{sub −0.17}{sup +0.34} M{sub J}) and (M{sub h},M{sub p})=(0.54{sub −0.28}{sup +0.33} M{sub ⊙},1.34{sub −0.70}{sup +0.82} M{sub J}), respectively. These planetary systems are located at a distance of 7.06{sub −1.15}{sup +0.93} kpc for OGLE-2018-BLG-0567 and 6.50{sub −1.75}{sup +1.06} 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.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

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 ± 0.27) × 10 -5 , which is similar to the ratio of Uranus/Sun (q = 4.37 × 10 -5 ) in the solar system. The Bayesian estimates for the host mass, planet mass, system distance, and planet–host projected separation are M {sub host} = 0.76 ± 0.40M ⊙ , M planet = 10.3 ± 5.5M ⊕ , D L = 3.3 ± 1.3 kpc, and a ⊥ = 3.3 ± 1.4 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.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OGLE-2018-BLG-0532Lb: Cold Neptune with Possible Jovian Sibling

We report the discovery of the planet OGLE-2018-BLG-0532Lb, with very obvious signatures in the light curve that lead to an estimate of the planet-host mass ratio q=M{sub planet}/M{sub host}≃1×10{sup −4}. Although there are no obvious systematic residuals to this double-lens/single-source (2L1S) fit, we find that χ {sup 2} can be significantly improved by adding either a third lens (3L1S, Δχ {sup 2} = 81) or second source (2L2S, Δχ {sup 2} = 77) to the lens-source geometry. After thorough investigation, we conclude that we cannot decisively distinguish between these two scenarios and therefore focus on the robustly detected planet. However, given the possible presence of a second planet, we investigate to what degree and with what probability such additional planets may affect seemingly single-planet light curves. Our best estimates for the properties of the lens star and the secure planet are a host mass M ∼ 0.25 M {sub ⊙}, system distance D {sub L} ∼ 1 kpc, and planet mass m{sub p,1}=8 M{sub ⊕} with projected separation a{sub 1,⊥}=1.4 au. However, there is a relatively bright I = 18.6 (and also relatively blue) star projected within <50 mas of the lens, and if future high-resolution images show that this is coincident with the lens, then it is possible that it is the lens, in which case, the lens would be both more massive and more distant than the best-estimated values above.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OGLE-2018-BLG-1269Lb: A Jovian Planet with a Bright I = 16 Host

We report the discovery of a planet in the microlensing event OGLE-2018-BLG-1269 with a planet–host mass ratio q ∼ 6 × 10{sup −4}, i.e., 0.6 times smaller than the Jupiter/Sun mass ratio. Combined with the Gaia parallax and proper motion, a strong one-dimensional constraint on the microlens parallax vector allows us to significantly reduce the uncertainties of lens physical parameters. A Bayesian analysis that ignores any information about light from the host yields that the planet is a cold giant (M{sub 2}=0.69{sub −0.22}{sup +0.44} M{sub J}) orbiting a Sun-like star (M{sub 1}=1.13{sub −0.35}{sup +0.72} M{sub ⊙}) at a distance of D{sub L}=2.56{sub −0.62}{sup +0.92} kpc. The projected planet–host separation is a{sub ⊥}=4.61{sub −1.17}{sup +1.70} au. Using Gaia astrometry, we show that the blended light lies ≲12 mas from the host and therefore must be either the host star or a stellar companion to the host. An isochrone analysis favors the former possibility at >99.6%. The host is therefore a subgiant. For host metallicities in the range of 0.0⩽[Fe/H]⩽+0.3, the host and planet masses are then in the range of 1.16⩽M{sub 1}/M{sub ⊙}⩽1.38 and 0.74⩽M{sub 2}/M{sub J}⩽0.89, respectively. Low host metallicities are excluded. The brightness and proximity of the lens make the event a strong candidate for spectroscopic follow-up both to test the microlensing solution and to further characterize the system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

KMT-2019-BLG-1339L: An M Dwarf with a Giant Planet or a Companion near the Planet/Brown Dwarf Boundary

We analyze KMT-2019-BLG-1339, a microlensing event with an obvious but incompletely resolved brief anomaly feature around the peak of the light curve. Although the origin of the anomaly is identified to be a companion to the lens with a low mass ratio q, the interpretation is subject to two different degeneracy types. The first type is the ambiguity in ρ, representing the angular source radius scaled to the angular radius of the Einstein ring, θ {sub E}, and the other is the s ↔ s {sup -1} degeneracy. The former type, “finite-source degeneracy,” causes ambiguities in both s and q, while the latter induces an ambiguity only in s. Here, s denotes the separation (in units of θ {sub E}) in projection between the lens components. We estimate that the lens components have masses (M{sub 1},M{sub 2})-(0.27{sub -0.15}{sup +0.36} M{sub ⊙},11{sub -7}{sup +16} M{sub J}) and -(0.48{sub -0.28}{sup +0.40} M{sub ⊙},1.3{sub -0.7}{sup +1.1} M{sub J}) according to the two solutions subject to the finite-source degeneracy, indicating that the lens comprises an M dwarf and a companion with a mass around the planet/brown dwarf boundary or a Jovian-mass planet. It is possible to lift the finite-source degeneracy by conducting future observations utilizing a high-resolution instrument because the relative lens–source proper motion predicted by the solutions is widely different.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OGLE-2017-BLG-0406: Spitzer Microlens Parallax Reveals Saturn-mass Planet Orbiting M-dwarf Host in the Inner Galactic Disk

We report the discovery and analysis of the planetary microlensing event OGLE-2017-BLG-0406, which was observed both from the ground and by the Spitzer satellite in a solar orbit. At high magnification, the anomaly in the light curve was densely observed by ground-based-survey and follow-up groups, and it was found to be explained by a planetary lens with a planet/host mass ratio of q=7.0×10{sup −4} from the light-curve modeling. The ground-only and Spitzer-“only” data each provide very strong one-dimensional (1D) constraints on the 2D microlens parallax vector π{sub E}. When combined, these yield a precise measurement of π{sub E} and of the masses of the host M{sub host}=0.56±0.07 M{sub ⊙} and planet M {sub planet} = 0.41 ± 0.05 M {sub Jup}. The system lies at a distance D {sub L} = 5.2 ± 0.5 kpc from the Sun toward the Galactic bulge, and the host is more likely to be a disk population star according to the kinematics of the lens. The projected separation of the planet from the host is a{sub ⊥}=3.5±0.3 au (i.e., just over twice the snow line). The Galactic-disk kinematics are established in part from a precise measurement of the source proper motion based on OGLE-IV data. By contrast, the Gaia proper-motion measurement of the source suffers from a catastrophic 10σ error.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

One Planet or Two Planets? The Ultra-sensitive Extreme-magnification Microlensing Event KMT-2019-BLG-1953

We present the analysis of a very high-magnification (A ∼ 900) microlensing event KMT-2019-BLG-1953. A single-lens single-source (1L1S) model appears to approximately delineate the observed light curve, but the residuals from the model exhibit small but obvious deviations in the peak region. A binary-lens (2L1S) model with a mass ratio of q ∼ 2 × 10{sup −3} improves the fits by Δχ {sup 2} = 181.8, indicating that the lens possesses a planetary companion. From additional modeling by introducing an extra planetary lens component (3L1S model) and an extra source companion (2L2S model), it is found that the residuals from the 2L1S model further diminish, but claiming these interpretations is difficult due to the weak signals with Δχ {sup 2} = 16.0 and 13.5 for the 3L1S and 2L2L models, respectively. From a Bayesian analysis, we estimate that the host of the planets has a mass of M{sub host}=0.31{sub −0.17}{sup +0.37} M{sub ⊙} and that the planetary system is located at a distance of D{sub L}=7.04{sub −1.33}{sup +1.10} kpc toward the Galactic center. The mass of the securely detected planet is M{sub p}=0.64{sub −0.35}{sup +0.76} M{sub J}. The signal of the potential second planet could have been confirmed if the peak of the light curve had been more densely observed by follow-up observations, and thus the event illustrates the need for intensive follow-up observations for very high-magnification events even in the current generation of high-cadence surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Candidate Brown-dwarf Microlensing Events with Very Short Timescales and Small Angular Einstein Radii

Short-timescale microlensing events are likely to be produced by substellar brown dwarfs (BDs), but it is difficult to securely identify BD lenses based on only event timescales t{sub E} because short-timescale events can also be produced by stellar lenses with high relative lens-source proper motions. In this paper, we report three strong candidate BD-lens events found from the search for lensing events not only with short timescales (t{sub E}≲6 days) but also with very small angular Einstein radii (θ{sub E}≲0.05 mas) among the events that have been found in the 2016–2019 observing seasons. These events include MOA-2017-BLG-147, MOA-2017-BLG-241, and MOA-2019-BLG-256, in which the first two events are produced by single lenses and the last event is produced by a binary lens. From the Monte Carlo simulations of Galactic events conducted with the combined t{sub E} and θ{sub E} constraint, it is estimated that the lens masses of the individual events are 0.051{sub −0.027}{sup +0.100} M{sub ⊙}, 0.044{sub −0.023}{sup +0.090} M{sub ⊙}, and 0.046{sub −0.023}{sup +0.067} M{sub ⊙}/0.038{sub −0.019}{sup +0.056} M{sub ⊙} and the probability of the lens mass smaller than the lower limit of stars is ∼80% for all events. We point out that routine lens mass measurements of short-timescale lensing events require survey-mode space-based observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

KMT-2016-BLG-1836Lb: A Super-Jovian Planet from a High-cadence Microlensing Field

We report the discovery of a super-Jovian planet in the microlensing event KMT-2016-BLG-1836, which was found by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) high-cadence observations (Γ~4 hr -1 ). The planet–host mass ratio q ~ 0.004. A Bayesian analysis indicates that the planetary system is composed of a super-Jovian M{ planet =2.2 -1.1 +1.9 M J planet orbiting an M or K dwarf, M{ host =0.49 -0.25 0.38 M ⊙ , at a distance of D L =7.1 -2.4} +0.8 kpc. The projected planet–host separation is 3.5 -0.9 +1.1 au, implying that the planet is located beyond the snow line of the host star. Future high-resolution images can potentially strongly constrain the lens brightness and thus the mass and distance of the planetary system. Without considering detailed detection efficiency, selection, or publication biases, we find a potential mass-ratio desert at -3.7 ≲ log q ≲ -3.0 for the 31 published KMTNet planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OGLE-2016-BLG-1227L: A Wide-separation Planet from a Very Short-timescale Microlensing Event

We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2016-BLG-1227. The light curve of this short-duration event appears to be a single-lens event affected by severe finite-source effects. Analysis of the light curve based on a single-lens single-source (1L1S) model yields very small values of the event timescale, t{sub E}∼3.5 days, and the angular Einstein radius, θ{sub E}∼0.009 mas, making the lens a candidate of a free-floating planet. Close inspection reveals that the 1L1S solution leaves small residuals with an amplitude of ΔI ≲ 0.03 mag. We find that the residuals are explained by the existence of an additional widely separated heavier lens component, indicating that the lens is a wide-separation planetary system rather than a free-floating planet. From Bayesian analysis, it is estimated that the planet has a mass of M{sub p}=0.79{sub −0.39}{sup +1.30} M{sub J} and it is orbiting a low-mass host star with a mass of M{sub host}=0.10{sub −0.05}{sup +0.17} M{sub ⊙} located with a projected separation of a{sub ⊥}=3.4{sub −1.0}{sup +2.1} au. The planetary system is located in the Galactic bulge with a line-of-sight separation from the source star of D{sub LS}=1.21{sub −0.63}{sup +0.96} kpc. The event shows that there is a range of deviations in the signatures of host stars for apparently isolated planetary lensing events and that it is possible to identify a host even when a deviation is subtle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OGLE-2018-BLG-0022: First Prediction of an Astrometric Microlensing Signal from a Photometric Microlensing Event

In this work, we present the analysis of the binary microlensing event OGLE-2018-BLG-0022 that is detected toward the Galactic bulge field. The dense and continuous coverage with the high-quality photometry data from ground-based observations combined with the space-based Spitzer observations of this long timescale event enables us to uniquely determine the masses M1=0.40 ± 0.05Me and M2=0.13 ± 0.01Me of the individual lens components. Because the lens-source relative parallax and the vector lens-source relative proper motion are unambiguously determined, we can likewise unambiguously predict the astrometric offset between the light centroid of the magnified images (as observed by the Gaia satellite) and the true position of the source. This prediction can be tested when the individual-epoch Gaia astrometric measurements are released.

Han, Cheongho↗

Automatic detection of microlensing events in the galactic bulge using machine learning techniques

The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is a NASA flagship mission scheduled to launch in mid-2020, with more than one year of its lifetime dedicated to microlensing survey. The survey is to discover thousands of exoplanets near or beyond the snowline via their microlensing light curve signatures, enabling a Kepler-like statistical analysis of planets at ~1-10 AU from their host stars and potentially revolutionizing our understanding of planet formation. The goal of our work is to create an automated system that has the ability to efficiently process and classify large-scale astronomical datasets that missions such as WFIRST will produce. In this paper, we discuss our framework that utilizes features election and parameter optimization for classification models to automatically differentiate the different types of stellar variability and detect microlensing events.

Shvartzvald, Yossi↗