Spitzer Microlensing Program as a Probe for Globular Cluster Planets. Analysis of OGLE-2015-BLG-0448

The microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0448 was observed by Spitzer and lay within the tidal radius of the globular cluster NGC 6558. The event had moderate magnification and was intensively observed, hence it had the potential to probe the distribution of planets in globular clusters. We measure the proper motion of NGC 6558 µ_(cl)(N,E)=(+0.36 ± 0.10,+1.42 ± 0.10, + yr^(-1)) as well as the source and show that the lens is not a cluster member. Even though this particular event does not probe the distribution of planets in globular clusters, other potential cluster lens events can be verified using our methodology. Additionally, we find that microlens parallax measured using Optical Gravitational Lens Experiment (OGLE) photometry is consistent with the value found based on the light curve displacement between the Earth and Spitzer

Planet Sensitivity from Combined Ground- and Space-based Microlensing Observations

To move one step forward toward a Galactic distribution of planets, we present the first planet sensitivity analysis for microlensing events with simultaneous observations from space and the ground. We present this analysis for two such events, OGLE-2014-BLG-0939 and OGLE-2014-BLG-0124, which both show substantial planet sensitivity even though neither of them reached high magnification. This suggests that an ensemble of low to moderate magnification events can also yield significant planet sensitivity, and therefore probability, for detecting planets. The implications of our results to the ongoing and future space-based microlensing experiments to measure the Galactic distribution of planets are discussed

Qatar-2: A K Dwarf Orbited by a Transiting Hot Jupiter and a more Massive Companion in an Outer Orbit

We report the discovery and initial characterization of Qatar-2b, a hot Jupiter transiting a V = 13.3 mag K dwarf in a circular orbit with a short period, P_b = 1.34 days. The mass and radius of Qatar-2b are M_P = 2.49 M_J and R_P = 1.14 R_J, respectively. Radial-velocity monitoring of Qatar-2 over a span of 153 days revealed the presence of a second companion in an outer orbit. The Systemic Console yielded plausible orbits for the outer companion, with periods on the order of a year and a companion mass of at least several M_J. Thus, Qatar-2 joins the short but growing list of systems with a transiting hot Jupiter and an outer companion with a much longer period. This system architecture is in sharp contrast to that found by Kepler for multi-transiting systems, which are dominated by objects smaller than Neptune, usually with tightly spaced orbits that must be nearly coplanar

A giant planet undergoing extreme-ultraviolet irradiation by its hot massive-star host

The amount of ultraviolet irradiation and ablation experienced by a planet depends strongly on the temperature of its host star. Of the thousands of extrasolar planets now known, only six have been found that transit hot, A-type stars (with temperatures of 7,300–10,000 kelvin), and no planets are known to transit the even hotter B-type stars. For example, WASP-33 is an A-type star with a temperature of about 7,430 kelvin, which hosts the hottest known transiting planet, WASP-33b (ref. 1); the planet is itself as hot as a red dwarf star of type M (ref. 2). WASP-33b displays a large heat differential between its dayside and nightside, and is highly inflated–traits that have been linked to high insolation. However, even at the temperature of its dayside, its atmosphere probably resembles the molecule-dominated atmospheres of other planets and, given the level of ultraviolet irradiation it experiences, its atmosphere is unlikely to be substantially ablated over the lifetime of its star. Here we report observations of the bright star HD 195689 (also known as KELT-9), which reveal a close-in (orbital period of about 1.48 days) transiting giant planet, KELT-9b. At approximately 10,170 kelvin, the host star is at the dividing line between stars of type A and B, and we measure the dayside temperature of KELT-9b to be about 4,600 kelvin. This is as hot as stars of stellar type K4 (ref. 5). The molecules in K stars are entirely dissociated, and so the primary sources of opacity in the dayside atmosphere of KELT-9b are probably atomic metals. Furthermore, KELT-9b receives 700 times more extreme-ultraviolet radiation (that is, with wavelengths shorter than 91.2 nanometres) than WASP-33b, leading to a predicted range of mass-loss rates that could leave the planet largely stripped of its envelope during the main-sequence lifetime of the host star

Spitzer Microlensing Program as a Probe for Globular Cluster Planets. Analysis of OGLE-2015-BLG-0448

The microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0448 was observed by Spitzer and lay within the tidal radius of the globular cluster NGC 6558. The event had moderate magnification and was intensively observed, hence it had the potential to probe the distribution of planets in globular clusters. We measure the proper motion of NGC 6558 µ_(cl)(N,E)=(+0.36 ± 0.10,+1.42 ± 0.10, + yr^(-1)) as well as the source and show that the lens is not a cluster member. Even though this particular event does not probe the distribution of planets in globular clusters, other potential cluster lens events can be verified using our methodology. Additionally, we find that microlens parallax measured using Optical Gravitational Lens Experiment (OGLE) photometry is consistent with the value found based on the light curve displacement between the Earth and Spitzer

Qatar-2: A K Dwarf Orbited by a Transiting Hot Jupiter and a more Massive Companion in an Outer Orbit

We report the discovery and initial characterization of Qatar-2b, a hot Jupiter transiting a V = 13.3 mag K dwarf in a circular orbit with a short period, P_b = 1.34 days. The mass and radius of Qatar-2b are M_P = 2.49 M_J and R_P = 1.14 R_J, respectively. Radial-velocity monitoring of Qatar-2 over a span of 153 days revealed the presence of a second companion in an outer orbit. The Systemic Console yielded plausible orbits for the outer companion, with periods on the order of a year and a companion mass of at least several M_J. Thus, Qatar-2 joins the short but growing list of systems with a transiting hot Jupiter and an outer companion with a much longer period. This system architecture is in sharp contrast to that found by Kepler for multi-transiting systems, which are dominated by objects smaller than Neptune, usually with tightly spaced orbits that must be nearly coplanar

KMT-2016-BLG-2052L: Microlensing Binary Composed of M Dwarfs Revealed from a Very Long Timescale Event

We present the analysis of a binary microlensing event, KMT-2016-BLG-2052, for which the lensing-induced brightening of the source star lasted for two seasons. We determine the lens mass from the combined measurements of the microlens parallax, π_E, and angular Einstein radius, θ_E. The measured mass indicates that the lens is a binary composed of M dwarfs with masses of M_1 ~ 0.34 M⊙ and M_2 ~ 0.17 M⊙. The measured relative lens-source proper motion of μ ~ 3.9 mas yr^(−1) is smaller than ~5 mas yr−1 of typical Galactic lensing events, while the estimated angular Einstein radius of θ E ~ 1.2 mas is substantially greater than the typical value of ~0.5 mas. Therefore, it turns out that the long timescale of the event is caused by the combination of the slow μ and large θ_E rather than the heavy mass of the lens. From the simulation of Galactic lensing events with very long timescales (t_E ≳ 100 days), we find that the probabilities that long timescale events are produced by lenses with masses ≥1.0 M⊙ and ≥3.0 M⊙ are ~19% and 2.6%, respectively, indicating that events produced by heavy lenses comprise a minor fraction of long timescale events. The results indicate that it is essential to determine lens masses by measuring both π_E and θ_E in order to firmly identify heavy stellar remnants, such as neutron stars and black holes