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MOA-2009-BLG-319Lb: A sub-saturn planet inside the predicted mass desert

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 20:11 authored by Terry, SK, Bhattacharya, A, Bennett, DP, Jean-Philippe BeaulieuJean-Philippe Beaulieu, Koshimoto, N, Joshua Blackman, Bond, IA, Andrew ColeAndrew Cole, Henderson, CB, Lu, JR, Marquette, JB, Ranc, C, Vandorou, A
We present an adaptive optics (AO) analysis of images from the Keck II telescope NIRC2 instrument of the planetary microlensing event MOA-2009-BLG-319. The ~10 yr baseline between the event and the Keck observations allows the planetary host star to be detected at a separation of 66.5 ± 1.7 mas from the source star, consistent with the light-curve model prediction. The combination of the host star brightness and light-curve parameters yields host star and planet masses of Mhost = 0.524 ± 0.048M and mp = 67.3 ± 6.2M at a distance of DL = 7.1 ± 0.7 kpc. The star−planet projected separation is 2.03 ± 0.21 au. The planet-to-star mass ratio of this system, q = (3.857 ± 0.029) × 10−4, places it in the predicted "planet desert" at 10−4 < q < 4 × 10−4 according to the runaway gas accretion scenario of the core accretion theory. Seven of the 30 planets in the Suzuki et al. sample fall in this mass ratio range, and this is the third with a measured host mass. All three of these host stars have masses of 0.5 ≤ Mhost/M ≤ 0.7, which implies that this predicted mass ratio gap is filled with planets that have host stars within a factor of two of 1M. This suggests that runaway gas accretion does not play a major role in determining giant planet masses for stars somewhat less massive than the Sun. Our analysis has been accomplished with a modified DAOPHOT code that has been designed to measure the brightness and positions of closely blended stars. This will aid in the development of the primary method that the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission will use to determine the masses of microlens planets and their hosts.

Funding

Australian Research Council

History

Publication title

Astronomical Journal

Volume

161

Article number

54

Number

54

Pagination

1-11

ISSN

0004-6256

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Univ Chicago Press

Place of publication

1427 E 60Th St, Chicago, USA, Il, 60637-2954

Rights statement

Copyright 2021. The American Astronomical Society

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences

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