2000/06/19 by Geraint F. Lewis, Rodrigo A. Ibata
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Bulge #Gravitational lens #Gravitational microlensing #Planet #Planetary system #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Scientific Research and Discoveries #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/312826
7 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Astrophysical Journal Letters
arxiv created 2000/06/19 · openalex publication_date 2000/08/10 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present a new method to identify and probe planetary companions of stars in the Galactic bulge and Magellanic Clouds using gravitational microlensing. While spectroscopic study of these planets is well beyond current observational techniques, monitoring polarization fluctuations during high-magnification events induced by binary microlensing events will probe the composition of the planetary atmospheres, an observation which otherwise is currently unattainable even for nearby planetary systems.