Spitzer Observations of OGLE-2015-BLG-1212 Reveal a New Path toward Breaking Strong Microlens Degeneracies

March 2016 • 2016ApJ...820...79B

Authors • Bozza, V. • Shvartzvald, Y. • Udalski, A. • Calchi Novati, S. • Bond, I. A. • Han, C. • Hundertmark, M. • Poleski, R. • Pawlak, M. • Szymański, M. K. • Skowron, J. • Mróz, P. • Kozłowski, S. • Wyrzykowski, Ł. • Pietrukowicz, P. • Soszyński, I. • Ulaczyk, K. • OGLE Group • and • Beichman, C. • Bryden, G. • Carey, S. • Fausnaugh, M. • Gaudi, B. S. • Gould, A. • Henderson, C. B. • Pogge, R. W. • Wibking, B. • Yee, J. C. • Zhu, W. • Spitzer Team • Abe, F. • Asakura, Y. • Barry, R. K. • Bennett, D. P. • Bhattacharya, A. • Donachie, M. • Freeman, M. • Fukui, A. • Hirao, Y. • Inayama, K. • Itow, Y. • Koshimoto, N. • Li, M. C. A. • Ling, C. H. • Masuda, K. • Matsubara, Y. • Muraki, Y. • Nagakane, M. • Nishioka, T. • Ohnishi, K. • Oyokawa, H. • Rattenbury, N. • Saito, To. • Sharan, A. • Sullivan, D. J. • Sumi, T. • Suzuki, D. • Tristram, P. J. • Wakiyama, Y. • Yonehara, A. • MOA Group • Choi, J. -Y. • Park, H. • Jung, Y. K. • Shin, I. -G. • Albrow, M. D. • Park, B. -G. • Kim, S. -L. • Lee, C. -U. • Cha, S. -M. • Kim, D. -J. • Lee, Y. • KMTNet Group • Dominik, M. • Jørgensen, U. G. • Andersen, M. I. • Bramich, D. M. • Burgdorf, M. J. • Ciceri, S. • D'Ago, G. • Evans, D. F. • Figuera Jaimes, R. • Gu, S. -H. • Hinse, T. C. • Kains, N. • Kerins, E. • Korhonen, H. • Kuffmeier, M. • Mancini, L. • Popovas, A. • Rabus, M. • Rahvar, S. • Rasmussen, R. T. • Scarpetta, G. • Skottfelt, J. • Snodgrass, C. • Southworth, J. • Surdej, J. • Unda-Sanzana, E. • von Essen, C. • Wang, Y. -B. • Wertz, O. • MiNDSTEp • Maoz, D. • Friedmann, M. • Kaspi, S. • Wise Group

Abstract • Spitzer microlensing parallax observations of OGLE-2015-BLG-1212 decisively break a degeneracy between planetary and binary solutions that is somewhat ambiguous when only ground-based data are considered. Only eight viable models survive out of an initial set of 32 local minima in the parameter space. These models clearly indicate that the lens is a stellar binary system possibly located within the bulge of our Galaxy, ruling out the planetary alternative. We argue that several types of discrete degeneracies can be broken via such space-based parallax observations.

Links

• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=2016ApJ...820...79B
• PDF https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/0004-637X/820/1/79/pdf
• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/1601.01699
• DATA https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/bibdata/2016/B/2016ApJ...820...79B.html
• ELECTR https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/0004-637X/820/1/79