6,320 research outputs found
Detection Rates for Close Binaries Via Microlensing
Microlensing is one of the most promising methods of reconstructing the
stellar mass function down to masses even below the hydrogen-burning limit. The
fundamental limit to this technique is the presence of unresolved binaries,
which can in principle significantly alter the inferred mass function. Here we
quantify the fraction of binaries that can be detected using microlensing,
considering specifically the mass ratio and separation of the binary. We find
that almost all binary systems with separations greater than of
their combined Einstein ring radius are detectable assuming a detection
threshold of . For two M dwarfs, this corresponds to a limiting separation
of \gsim 1 \au. Since very few observed M dwarfs have companions at
separations \lsim 1 \au, we conclude that close binaries will probably not
corrupt the measurements of the mass function. We find that the detectability
depends only weakly on the mass ratio. For those events for which individual
masses can be determined, we find that binaries can be detected down to .Comment: 19 pages including 6 figures. Uses phyyzx format. Send requests for
higher quality figures to [email protected]
Extended Source Diffraction Effects Near Gravitational Lens Fold Caustics
Calculations are presented detailing the gravitational lens diffraction due
to the steep brightness gradient of the limb of a stellar source. The lensing
case studied is the fold caustic crossing. The limb diffraction signal greatly
exceeds that due to the disk as a whole and should be detectable for white
dwarf sources in our Galaxy and it's satellites with existing telescopes.
Detection of this diffraction signal would provide an additional mathematical
constraint, reducing the degeneracy among models of the lensing geometry. The
diffraction pattern provides pico-arcsecond resolution of the limb profile.Comment: 19 pages including 17 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ, Minor
conceptual change from previous versio
A Characteristic Planetary Feature in Double-Peaked, High-Magnification Microlensing Events
A significant fraction of microlensing planets have been discovered in
high-magnification events, and a significant fraction of these events exhibit a
double-peak structure at their peak. However, very wide or very close binaries
can also produce double-peaked high-magnification events, with the same gross
properties as those produced by planets. Traditionally, distinguishing between
these two interpretations has relied upon detailed modeling, which is both
time-consuming and generally does not provide insight into the observable
properties that allow discrimination between these two classes of models. We
study the morphologies of these two classes of double-peaked high-magnification
events, and identify a simple diagnostic that can be used to immediately
distinguish between perturbations caused by planetary and binary companions,
without detailed modeling. This diagnostic is based on the difference in the
shape of the intra-peak region of the light curves. The shape is smooth and
concave for binary lensing, while it tends to be either boxy or convex for
planetary lensing. In planetary lensing this intra-peak morphology is due to
the small, weak cusp of the planetary central caustic located between the two
stronger cusps. We apply this diagnostic to five observed double-peaked
high-magnification events to infer their underlying nature. A corollary of our
study is that good coverage of the intra-peak region of double-peaked
high-magnification events is likely to be important for their unique
interpretation.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Exotic Statistics for Ordinary Particles in Quantum Gravity
Objects exhibiting statistics other than the familiar Bose and Fermi ones are
natural in theories with topologically nontrivial objects including geons,
strings, and black holes. It is argued here from several viewpoints that the
statistics of ordinary particles with which we are already familiar are likely
to be modified due to quantum gravity effects. In particular, such
modifications are argued to be present in loop quantum gravity and in any
theory which represents spacetime in a fundamentally piecewise-linear fashion.
The appearance of unusual statistics may be a generic feature (such as the
deformed position-momentum uncertainty relations and the appearance of a
fundamental length scale) which are to be expected in any theory of quantum
gravity, and which could be testable.Comment: Awarded an honourable mention in the 2008 Gravity Research Foundation
Essay Competitio
Tourism demand modelling and forecasting : how should demand be measured?
2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe
Gravitational Microlensing Near Caustics I: Folds
We study the local behavior of gravitational lensing near fold catastrophes.
Using a generic form for the lensing map near a fold, we determine the
observable properties of the lensed images, focusing on the case when the
individual images are unresolved, i.e., microlensing. Allowing for images not
associated with the fold, we derive analytic expressions for the photometric
and astrometric behavior near a generic fold caustic. We show how this form
reduces to the more familiar linear caustic, which lenses a nearby source into
two images which have equal magnification, opposite parity, and are equidistant
from the critical curve. In this case, the simplicity and high degree of
symmetry allows for the derivation of semi-analytic expressions for the
photometric and astrometric deviations in the presence of finite sources with
arbitrary surface brightness profiles. We use our results to derive some basic
properties of astrometric microlensing near folds, in particular we predict for
finite sources with uniform and limb darkening profiles, the detailed shape of
the astrometric curve as the source crosses a fold. We find that the
astrometric effects of limb darkening will be difficult to detect with the
currently planned accuracy of the Space Interferometry Mission. We verify our
results by numerically calculating the expected astrometric shift for the
photometrically well-covered Galactic binary lensing event OGLE-1999-BUL-23,
finding excellent agreement with our analytic expressions. Our results can be
applied to any lensing system with fold caustics, including Galactic binary
lenses and quasar microlensing.Comment: 37 pages, 7 figures. Revised version includes an expanded discussion
of applications. Accepted to ApJ, to appear in the August 1, 2002 issue
(v574
The Post-Newtonian Limit of f(R)-gravity in the Harmonic Gauge
A general analytic procedure is developed for the post-Newtonian limit of
-gravity with metric approach in the Jordan frame by using the harmonic
gauge condition. In a pure perturbative framework and by using the Green
function method a general scheme of solutions up to order is shown.
Considering the Taylor expansion of a generic function it is possible to
parameterize the solutions by derivatives of . At Newtonian order,
, all more important topics about the Gauss and Birkhoff theorem are
discussed. The corrections to "standard" gravitational potential
(-component of metric tensor) generated by an extended uniform mass
ball-like source are calculated up to order. The corrections, Yukawa
and oscillating-like, are found inside and outside the mass distribution. At
last when the limit is considered the -gravity converges
in General Relativity at level of Lagrangian, field equations and their
solutions.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
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