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MOA-2010-BLG-311: A planetary candidate below the threshold of reliable detection

Version 2 2025-01-15, 00:59
Version 1 2023-05-17, 23:35
journal contribution
posted on 2025-01-15, 00:59 authored by JC Yee, L-W Hung, IA Bond, W Allen, LAG Monard, MD Albrow, P Fouque, M Dominik, Y Tsapras, A Udalski, A Gould, R Zellem, M Bos, GW Christie, DL DePoy, S Dong, J Drummond, BS Gaudi, E Gorbikov, C Han, S Kaspi, N Klein, C-U Lee, D Maoz, J McCormick, D Moorhouse, T Natusch, M Nola, B-G Park, RW Pogge, D Polishook, A Shporer, Y Shvartzvald, J Skowron, G Thornley, F Abe, DP Bennett, CS Botzler, P Chote, M Freeman, A Fukui, K Furusawa, P Harris, Y Itow, CH Ling, K Masuda, Y Matsubara, N Miyake, K Ohnishi, NJ Rattenbury, T Saito, DJ Sullivan, T Sumi, D Suzuki, WL Sweatman, PJ Tristram, K Wada, PCM Yock, MK Szymanski, I Soszynski, M Kubiak, R Poleski, K Ulaczyk, G Pietrzynski, A Wyrzykowski, E Bachelet, V Batista, TG Beatty, Jean-Philippe BeaulieuJean-Philippe Beaulieu, CS Bennett, R Bowens-Rubin, S Brillant, JAR Caldwell, A Cassan, Andrew ColeAndrew Cole, E Corrales, C Coutures, S Dieters, D Dominis Prester, J Donatowicz, J Greenhill, CB Henderson, D Kubas, J-B Marquette, R Martin, JW Menzies, B Shappee, A Williams, D Wouters, J van Saders, M Zub, RA Street, K Horne, DM Bramich, IA Steele, KA Alsubai, V Bozza, P Browne, MJ Burgdorf, S Calchi Novati, P Dodds, F Finet, T Gerner, S Hardis, K Harpsoe, FV Hessman, TC Hinse, M Hundertmark, UG Jorgensen, N Kains, E Kerins, C Liebig, L Mancini, M Mathiasen, MT Penny, S Proft, S Rahvar, D Ricci, KC Sahu, G Scarpetta, S Schafer, F Schonebeck, C Snodgrass, J Southworth, J Surdej, J Wambsganss
We analyze MOA-2010-BLG-311, a high magnification (Amax > 600) microlensing event with complete data coverage over the peak, making it very sensitive to planetary signals. We fit this event with both a point lens and a two-body lens model and find that the two-body lens model is a better fit but with only Δχ2 ~ 80. The preferred mass ratio between the lens star and its companion is q = 10–3.7 ± 0.1, placing the candidate companion in the planetary regime. Despite the formal significance of the planet, we show that because of systematics in the data the evidence for a planetary companion to the lens is too tenuous to claim a secure detection. When combined with analyses of other high-magnification events, this event helps empirically define the threshold for reliable planet detection in high-magnification events, which remains an open question.

History

Publication title

Astrophysical Journal

Volume

769

Issue

1

Article number

77

Number

77

Pagination

1-13

ISSN

0004-637X

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences, Physics

Publisher

Univ Chicago Press

Publication status

  • Published

Place of publication

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

Rights statement

Copyright 2013 The American Astronomical Society

Socio-economic Objectives

280120 Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences

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