We present microlens parallax measurements for 21 (apparently) isolated lenses observed toward the Galactic bulge that were imaged simultaneously from Earth and Spitzer, which was ~1 AU West of Earth in projection. We combine these measurements with
a kinematic model of the Galaxy to derive distance estimates for each lens, with error bars that are small compared to the Suns Galactocentric distance. The ensemble therefore yields a well-defined cumulative distribution of lens distances. In principle it is possible to compare this distribution against a set of planets detected in the same experiment in order to measure the Galactic distribution of planets. Since these Spitzer observations yielded only one planet, this is not yet possible in practice. However, it will become possible as larger samples are accumulated.
We present the first space-based microlens parallax measurement of an isolated star. From the striking differences in the lightcurve as seen from Earth and from Spitzer (~1 AU to the West), we infer a projected velocity v_helio,projected ~ 250 km/s,
which strongly favors a lens in the Galactic Disk with mass M=0.23 +- 0.07 M_sun and distance D_L=3.1 +- 0.4 kpc. An ensemble of such measurements drawn from our ongoing program could be used to measure the single-lens mass function including dark objects, and also is necessary for measuring the Galactic distribution of planets since the ensemble reflects the underlying Galactic distribution of microlenses. We study the application of the many ideas to break the four-fold degeneracy first predicted by Refsdal 50 years ago. We find that this degeneracy is clearly broken, but by two unanticipated mechanisms.
We re-consider the polarization of the star light that may arise during microlensing events due to the high gradient of magnification across the atmosphere of the source star, by exploring the full range of microlensing and stellar physical parameter
s. Since it is already known that only cool evolved giant stars give rise to the highest polarization signals, we follow the model by Simmons et al. (2002) to compute the polarization as due to the photon scattering on dust grains in the stellar wind. Motivated by the possibility to perform a polarization measurement during an ongoing microlensing event, we consider the recently reported event catalog by the OGLE collaboration covering the 2001-2009 campaigns (OGLE-III events), that makes available the largest and more comprehensive set of single lens microlensing events towards the Galactic bulge. The study of these events, integrated by a Monte Carlo analysis, allows us to estimate the expected polarization profiles and to predict for which source stars and at which time is most convenient to perform a polarization measurement in an ongoing event. We find that about two dozens of OGLE-III events (about 1 percent of the total) have maximum polarization degree in the range 0.1 < P_{rm max} <1 percent, corresponding to source stars with apparent magnitude I < 14.5, being very cool red giants.This signal is measurable by using the FORS2 polarimeter at VLT telescope with about 1 hour integration time.
We present the final analysis of the observational campaign carried out by the PLAN (Pixel Lensing Andromeda) collaboration to detect a dark matter signal in form of MACHOs through the microlensing effect. The campaign consists of about 1 month/year
observations carried out during 4 years (2007-2010) at the 1.5m Cassini telescope in Loiano (Astronomical Observatory of BOLOGNA, OAB) plus 10 days of data taken in 2010 at the 2m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) monitoring the central part of M31 (two fields of about 13x12.6). We establish a fully automated pipeline for the search and the characterization of microlensing flux variations: as a result we detect 3 microlensing candidates. We evaluate the expected signal through a full Monte Carlo simulation of the experiment completed by an analysis of the detection efficiency of our pipeline. We consider both self lensing and MACHO lensing lens populations, given by M31 stars and dark matter halo MACHOs, in the M31 and the Milky Way (MW), respectively. The total number of events is compatible with the expected self-lensing rate. Specifically, we evaluate an expected signal of about 2 self-lensing events. As for MACHO lensing, for full 0.5 (0.01) solar mass MACHO halos, our prediction is for about 4 (7) events. The comparatively small number of expected MACHO versus self lensing events, together with the small number statistics at disposal, do not enable us to put strong constraints on that population. Rather, the hypothesis, suggested by a previous analysis, on the MACHO nature of OAB-07-N2, one of the microlensing candidates, translates into a sizeable lower limit for the halo mass fraction in form of the would be MACHO population, f, of about 15% for 0.5 solar mass MACHOs.
We present a new analysis of the results of the EROS-2, OGLE-II, and OGLE-III microlensing campaigns towards the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Through a statistical analysis we address the issue of the emph{nature} of the reported microlensing candid
ate events, whether to be attributed to lenses belonging to known population (the SMC luminous components or the Milky Way disc, to which we broadly refer to as self lensing) or to the would be population of dark matter compact halo objects (MACHOs). To this purpose, we present profiles of the optical depth and, comparing to the observed quantities, we carry out analyses of the events position and duration. Finally, we evaluate and study the microlensing rate. Overall, we consider five reported microlensing events towards the SMC (one by EROS and four by OGLE). The analysis shows that in terms of number of events the expected self lensing signal may indeed explain the observed rate. However, the characteristics of the events, spatial distribution and duration (and for one event, the projected velocity) rather suggest a non-self lensing origin for a few of them. In particular we evaluate, through a likelihood analysis, the resulting upper limit for the halo mass fraction in form of MACHOs given the expected self-lensing and MACHO lensing signal. At 95% CL, the tighter upper limit, about 10%, is found for MACHO mass of $10^{-2} mathrm{M}_odot$, upper limit that reduces to above 20% for $0.5 mathrm{M}_odot$ MACHOs.
Microlensing is the tool of choice for the search and the analysis of compact halo objects (MACHOs), a still viable class of dark matter candidates at the galactic scale. Different analyses point towards an agreement in excluding dark matter MACHOs o
f less than about 0.1 solar mass; it remains however an ongoing debate for values in the mass range (0.1-1) solar mass. The more robust constraints, though not all in agreement, come from the observational campaigns towards the Magellanic Clouds (the LMC and the SMC). The analyses towards the nearby galaxy of M31, in the so called pixel lensing regime, have expanded the perspectives in this field of research. In this contribution first we draw a critical view on recent results and then we focus on the pixel lensing analysis towards M31 of the PLAN collaboration.
We present an analysis of the results of the OGLE-III microlensing campaign towards the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We evaluate for all the possible lens populations along the line of sight the expected microlensing quantities, number of events and
duration. In particular we consider lensing by massive compact halo objects (MACHOs) in the dark matter haloes of both the Milky Way (MW) and the LMC, and self lensing by stars in the LMC bar and disc, in the MW disc and in the stellar haloes of both the LMC and the MW. As a result we find that the self-lensing signal is able to explain the 2 OGLE-III microlensing candidates. In particular, we estimate the expected MW disc signal to be almost as large as that from LMC stars and able, by itself, to explain the observed rate. We evaluate a 95% CL emph{upper} limit for $f$, the halo mass fraction in form of MACHOs, in the range 10-20% for $(10^{-2}-0.5) mathrm{M}_odot$, and $f=24%$ for $1 mathrm{M}_odot$ (below 10% in this full range, and in particular below 5% for $(10^{-2}-0.1) mathrm{M}_odot$) for the Bright (All) samples of source stars. Furthermore, we find that these limits do not rise much even if we assume the observed events emph{are} MACHOs. For the All sample we also evaluate a rather significant constraint on $f$ for larger values of the MACHO mass, in particular $fsim 50%$ (95% CL) for $100 mathrm{M}_odot$, to date the stronger bound coming from microlensing analyses in this mass range. Finally, we discuss these results in the framework of the previous observational campaigns towards the LMC, that of the MACHO and the EROS collaborations, and we present a joint analysis of the OGLE-II and the OGLE-III campaigns.
We present an updated analysis of the M31 pixel lensing candidate event OAB-N2 previously reported in Calchi Novati et al. (2009). Here we take advantage of new data both astrometric and photometric. Astrometry: using archival 4m-KPNO and HST/WFPC2 d
ata we perform a detailed analysis on the event source whose result, although not fully conclusive on the source magnitude determination, is confirmed by the following light curve photometry analysis. Photometry: first, unpublished WeCAPP data allows us to confirm OAB-N2, previously reported only as a viable candidate, as a well constrained pixel lensing event. Second, this photometry enables a detailed analysis in the event parameter space including the effects due to finite source size. The combined results of these analyses allow us to put a strong lower limit on the lens proper motion. This outcome favors the MACHO lensing hypothesis over self lensing for this individual event and points the way toward distinguishing between the MACHO and self-lensing hypotheses from larger data sets.
We examine the possibility of observing gravitational lensing in the weak deflection regime by the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M31. This black hole is significantly more massive than the black hole in the center of our Galaxy
qualifying itself as a more effective lens. However, it is also more distant and the candidate stellar sources appear consequently fainter. As potential sources we separately consider stars belonging to the bulge, to the disk, to the triple nucleus formed by P1+P2 and by the recently discovered inner cluster P3. We calculate the number of simultaneously lensed stars at a given time as a function of the threshold magnitude required for the secondary image. For observations in the K-band we find 1.4 expected stars having secondary images brighter than K=24 and 182 brighter than K=30. For observations in the V-band we expect 1.3 secondary images brighter than V=27 and 271 brighter than V=33. The bulge stars have the highest chance to be lensed by the supermassive black hole, whereas the disk and the composite nucleus stars contribute by 10% each. The typical angular separation of the secondary images from the black hole range from 1 mas to 0.1. For each population we also show the distribution of the lensed sources as a function of their distance and absolute magnitude, the expected angular positions and velocities of the generated secondary images, the rate and the typical duration of the lensing events.
We analyse a series of pilot observations in order to study microlensing of (unresolved) stars in M31 with the 1.5m Loiano telescope, including observations on both identified variable source stars and reported microlensing events. We also look for p
reviously unknown variability and discover a nova. We discuss an observing strategy for an extended campaign with the goal of determining whether MACHOs exist or whether all microlensing events are compatible with lens stars in M31.
