Naslov
Interpretation of a Short-term Anomaly in the Gravitational Microlensing Event MOA-2012-BLG-486

Autori
Hwang, K-H. ; ... ; Dominis Prester, Dijana ; ... ; street, R.A.

Izvornik
The Astrophysical Journal (0004-637X) 778 (2013), 1; 55-1

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
binaries: general; gravitational lensing: micro; planets and satellites: detection

Sažetak
A planetary microlensing signal is generally characterized by a short-term perturbation to the standard single lensing light curve. A subset of binary-source events can produce perturbations that mimic planetary signals, thereby introducing an ambiguity between the planetary and binary-source interpretations. In this paper, we present the analysis of the microlensing event MOA-2012-BLG-486, for which the light curve exhibits a short-lived perturbation. Routine modeling not considering data taken in different passbands yields a best-fit planetary model that is slightly preferred over the best-fit binary-source model. However, when allowed for a change in the color during the perturbation, we find that the binary-source model yields a significantly better fit and thus the degeneracy is clearly resolved. This event not only signifies the importance of considering various interpretations of short-term anomalies, but also demonstrates the importance of multi-band data for checking the possibility of false-positive planetary signals.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Fizika

POVEZANOST RADA