Search

We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2014-BLG-0221, a planetary candidate event discovered in 2014. The photometric light curve is best described by a binary-lens single-source model. Our light-curve modeling finds two degenerate models, with event timescales of t _E ∼ 70 days and ∼110 days. These timescales are relatively long, indicating that the discovered system would possess a substantial mass. The two models are similar in their planetary parameters with a Jupiter mass ratio of q ∼ 10 ^−3 and a separation of s ∼ 1.1. Bayesian inference is used to estimate the physical parameters of the lens, revealing that the shorter timescale model predicts 65% and 25% probabilities of a late-type star and white dwarf host, respectively, while the longer timescale model favors a black hole host with a probability ranging from 60% to 95%, under the assumption that stars and stellar remnants have equal probabilities of hosting companions with planetary mass ratios. If the lens is a remnant, this would be the second planet found by microlensing around a stellar remnant. The current separation between the source and lens stars is 41–139 mas depending on the models. This indicates the event is now ready for high-angular-resolution follow-up observations to rule out either of the models. If precise astrometric measurements are conducted in multiple bands, the centroid shift due to the color difference between the source and lens would be detected in the luminous lens scenario.

Following Shin et al. (2023b), which is a part of the “Systematic KMTNet Planetary Anomaly Search” series (i.e., a search for planets in the 2016 KMTNet prime fields), we conduct a systematic search of the 2016 KMTNet subprime fields using a semi-machine-based algorithm to identify hidden anomalous events missed by the conventional by-eye search. We find four new planets and seven planet candidates that were buried in the KMTNet archive. The new planets are OGLE-2016-BLG-1598Lb, OGLE-2016-BLG-1800Lb, MOA-2016-BLG-526Lb, and KMT-2016-BLG-2321Lb, which show typical properties of microlensing planets, i.e., giant planets orbit M-dwarf host stars beyond their snow lines. For the planet candidates, we find planet/binary or 2L1S/1L2S degeneracies, which are an obstacle to firmly claiming planet detections. By combining the results of Shin et al. (2023b) and this work, we find a total of nine hidden planets, which is about half the number of planets discovered by eye in 2016. With this work, we have met the goal of the systematic search series for 2016, which is to build a complete microlensing planet sample. We also show that our systematic searches significantly contribute to completing the planet sample, especially for planet/host mass ratios smaller than 10 ^−3 , which were incomplete in previous by-eye searches of the KMTNet archive.

In the pursuit of understanding the population of stellar remnants within the Milky Way, we analyze the sample of ∼950 microlensing events observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope between 2014 and 2019. In this study we focus on a subsample of nine microlensing events, selected based on their long timescales, small microlensing parallaxes, and joint observations by the Gaia mission, to increase the probability that the chosen lenses are massive and the mass is measurable. Among the selected events we identify lensing black holes and neutron star candidates, with potential confirmation through forthcoming release of the Gaia time-series astrometry in 2026. Utilizing Bayesian analysis and Galactic models, along with the Gaia Data Release 3 proper-motion data, four good candidates for dark remnants were identified: OGLE-2016-BLG-0293, OGLE-2018-BLG-0483, OGLE-2018-BLG-0662, and OGLE-2015-BLG-0149, with lens masses of ${3.0}_{-1.3}^{+1.8}\,{M}_{\odot }$ , ${4.7}_{-2.1}^{+3.2}\,{M}_{\odot }$ , ${3.15}_{-0.64}^{+0.66}\,{M}_{\odot }$ and ${1.40}_{-0.55}^{+0.75}\,{M}_{\odot }$ , respectively. Notably, the first two candidates are expected to exhibit astrometric microlensing signals detectable by Gaia, offering the prospect of validating the lens masses. The methodologies developed in this work will be applied to the full Spitzer microlensing sample, populating and analyzing the timescale ( t _E ) versus parallax ( π _E ) diagram to derive constraints on the population of lenses in general and massive remnants in particular.

We present the first measurement of the mass function of free-floating planets (FFPs), or very wide orbit planets down to an Earth mass, from the MOA-II microlensing survey in 2006–2014. Six events are likely to be due to planets with Einstein radius crossing times t _E < 0.5 days, and the shortest has t _E = 0.057 ± 0.016 days and an angular Einstein radius of θ _E = 0.90 ± 0.14 μ as. We measure the detection efficiency depending on both t _E and θ _E with image-level simulations for the first time. These short events are well modeled by a power-law mass function, ${{dN}}_{4}/d\mathrm{log}M={({2.18}_{-1.40}^{+0.52})\times (M/8\,{M}_{\oplus })}^{-{\alpha }_{4}}$ dex ^−1 star ^−1 with ${\alpha }_{4}={0.96}_{-0.27}^{+0.47}$ for M / M _⊙ < 0.02. This implies a total of $f={21}_{-13}^{+23}$ FFPs or very wide orbit planets of mass 0.33 < M / M _⊕ < 6660 per star, with a total mass of ${80}_{-47}^{+73}{M}_{\oplus }$ star ^−1 . The number of FFPs is ${19}_{-13}^{+23}$ times the number of planets in wide orbits (beyond the snow line), while the total masses are of the same order. This suggests that the FFPs have been ejected from bound planetary systems that may have had an initial mass function with a power-law index of α ∼ 0.9, which would imply a total mass of ${171}_{-52}^{+80}{M}_{\oplus }$ star ^−1 . This model predicts that Roman Space Telescope will detect ${988}_{-566}^{+1848}$ FFPs with masses down to that of Mars (including ${575}_{-424}^{+1733}$ with 0.1 ≤ M / M _⊕ ≤ 1). The Sumi et al. large Jupiter-mass FFP population is excluded.

We present an analysis of microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-0825. This event was identified as a planetary candidate by preliminary modeling. We find that significant residuals from the best-fit static binary-lens model exist and a xallarap effect can fit the residuals very well and significantly improves χ ^2 values. On the other hand, by including the xallarap effect in our models, we find that binary-lens parameters such as mass ratio, q , and separation, s , cannot be constrained well. However, we also find that the parameters for the source system such as the orbital period and semimajor axis are consistent between all the models we analyzed. We therefore constrain the properties of the source system better than the properties of the lens system. The source system comprises a G-type main-sequence star orbited by a brown dwarf with a period of P ∼ 5 days. This analysis is the first to demonstrate that the xallarap effect does affect binary-lens parameters in planetary events. It would not be common for the presence or absence of the xallarap effect to affect lens parameters in events with long orbital periods of the source system or events with transits to caustics, but in other cases, such as this event, the xallarap effect can affect binary-lens parameters.

As a part of the “Systematic KMTNet Planetary Anomaly Search” series, we report five new planets (namely, OGLE-2016-BLG-1635Lb, MOA-2016-BLG-532Lb, KMT-2016-BLG-0625Lb, OGLE-2016-BLG-1850Lb, and KMT-2016-BLG-1751Lb) and one planet candidate (KMT-2016-BLG-1855), which were found by searching 2016 KMTNet prime fields. These buried planets show a wide range of masses from Earth-class to super-Jupiter-class and are located in both the disk and the bulge. The ultimate goal of this series is to build a complete planet sample. Because our work provides a complementary sample to other planet detection methods, which have different detection sensitivities, our complete sample will help us to obtain a better understanding of planet demographics in our Galaxy.

We report the discoveries of low-mass free-floating planet (FFP) candidates from the analysis of 2006–2014 MOA-II Galactic bulge survey data. In this data set, we found 6111 microlensing candidates and identified a statistical sample consisting of 3535 high-quality single-lens events with Einstein radius crossing times in the range 0.057 < t _E /days < 757, including 13 events that show clear finite-source effects with angular Einstein radii of 0.90 < θ _E / μ as < 332.54. Two of the 12 events with t _E < 1 day have significant finite-source effects, and one event, MOA-9y-5919, with t _E = 0.057 ± 0.016 days and θ _E = 0.90 ± 0.14 μ as, is the second terrestrial-mass FFP candidate to date. A Bayesian analysis indicates a lens mass of ${0.75}_{-0.46}^{+1.23}$ M _⊕ for this event. The low detection efficiency for short-duration events implies a large population of low-mass FFPs. The microlensing detection efficiency for low-mass planet events depends on both the Einstein radius crossing times and the angular Einstein radii, so we have used image-level simulations to determine the detection efficiency dependence on both t _E and θ _E . This allows us to use a Galactic model to simulate the t _E and θ _E distribution of events produced by the known stellar populations and models of the FFP distribution that are fit to the data. Methods like this will be needed for the more precise FFP demographics determinations from Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope data.