MOA-2010-BLG-311: A Planetary Candidate below the Threshold of Reliable Detection

May 2013 • 2013ApJ...769...77Y

Authors • Yee, J. C. • Hung, L. -W. • Bond, I. A. • Allen, W. • Monard, L. A. G. • Albrow, M. D. • Fouqué, P. • Dominik, M. • Tsapras, Y. • Udalski, A. • Gould, A. • Zellem, R. • Bos, M. • Christie, G. W. • DePoy, D. L. • Dong, Subo • Drummond, J. • Gaudi, B. S. • Gorbikov, E. • Han, C. • Kaspi, S. • Klein, N. • Lee, C. -U. • Maoz, D. • McCormick, J. • Moorhouse, D. • Natusch, T. • Nola, M. • Park, B. -G. • Pogge, R. W. • Polishook, D. • Shporer, A. • Shvartzvald, Y. • Skowron, J. • Thornley, G. • μFUN Collaboration • Abe, F. • Bennett, D. P. • Botzler, C. S. • Chote, P. • Freeman, M. • Fukui, A. • Furusawa, K. • Harris, P. • Itow, Y. • Ling, C. H. • Masuda, K. • Matsubara, Y. • Miyake, N. • Ohnishi, K. • Rattenbury, N. J. • Saito, To. • Sullivan, D. J. • Sumi, T. • Suzuki, D. • Sweatman, W. L. • Tristram, P. J. • Wada, K. • Yock, P. C. M. • MOA Collaboration • Szymański, M. K. • Soszyński, I. • Kubiak, M. • Poleski, R. • Ulaczyk, K. • Pietrzyński, G. • Wyrzykowski, Ł. • OGLE Collaboration • Bachelet, E. • Batista, V. • Beatty, T. G. • Beaulieu, J. -P. • Bennett, C. S. • Bowens-Rubin, R. • Brillant, S. • Caldwell, J. A. R. • Cassan, A. • Cole, A. A. • Corrales, E. • Coutures, C. • Dieters, S. • Dominis Prester, D. • Donatowicz, J. • Greenhill, J. • Henderson, C. B. • Kubas, D. • Marquette, J. -B. • Martin, R. • Menzies, J. W. • Shappee, B. • Williams, A. • Wouters, D. • van Saders, J. • Zub, M. • PLANET Collaboration • Street, R. A. • Horne, K. • Bramich, D. M. • Steele, I. A. • RoboNet Collaboration • Alsubai, K. A. • Bozza, V. • Browne, P. • Burgdorf, M. J. • Calchi Novati, S. • Dodds, P. • Finet, F. • Gerner, T. • Hardis, S. • Harpsøe, K. • Hessman, F. V. • Hinse, T. C. • Hundertmark, M. • Jørgensen, U. G. • Kains, N. • Kerins, E. • Liebig, C. • Mancini, L. • Mathiasen, M. • Penny, M. T. • Proft, S. • Rahvar, S. • Ricci, D. • Sahu, K. C. • Scarpetta, G. • Schäfer, S. • Schönebeck, F. • Snodgrass, C. • Southworth, J. • Surdej, J. • Wambsganss, J. • MiNDSTEp Consortium, The

Abstract • We analyze MOA-2010-BLG-311, a high magnification (A _max > 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.

Links

• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=2013ApJ...769...77Y
• PDF https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/769/1/77/pdf
• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.6041
• ELECTR https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/769/1/77