2008/01/31 by Cheongho Han · 37 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrobiology #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Binary number #Binary star #Exoplanet #Gravitational microlensing #Habitability of orange dwarf systems #Jupiter mass #Kepler-47 #Light curve #Physics #Planet #Planetary mass #Planetary system #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Suns in alchemy #Transit (satellite) #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/586896
published in The Astrophysical Journal 676(1), L53-L56 (IOP Publishing) · 4 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2008/01/31 · openalex publication_date 2008/03/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Among more than 200 extrasolar planet candidates discovered to date, there is no known planet orbiting around normal binary stars. In this Letter, we demonstrate that microlensing is a technique that can detect such planets. Microlensing discoveries of these planets are possible because the planet and host binary stars produce perturbations at a common region around center of mass of the binary stars and thus the signatures of both planet and binary can be detected in the light curves of high-magnification microlensing events. The ranges of the planetary and binary separations of systems for optimal detection vary depending on the planet mass. For a Jupiter-mass planet, we find that high detection efficiency is expected for planets located in the range of ~1-5 AU from the binary stars which are separated by ~0.15-0.5 AU.