2015/01/31 by Christine Liebig, C. Liebig, Giuseppe D'Ago +5 · 18 citations
Computer Science · Environmental Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Vision and Imaging #Astrophysics #Binary number #Caustic (mathematics) #Combinatorics #Cusp (singularity) #Geometry #Gravitational microlensing #Lens (geology) #Light curve #Mathematics #Optical measurement and interference techniques #Optics #Parameter space #Partition (number theory) #Physics #Ray #Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications #Stars #astro-ph.EP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/mnras/stv733
published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 450(2), 1565-1584 (Oxford University Press) · 22 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS
arxiv created 2015/03/31 · openalex publication_date 2015/04/25 · arxiv updated 2015/06/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The light curves observed in microlensing events due to binary lenses span an extremely wide variety of forms, characterized by U-shaped caustic crossings and/or additional smoother peaks. However, all peaks of the binary-lens light curve can be traced back to features of caustics of the lens system. Moreover, all peaks can be categorized as one of only four types (cusp-grazing, cusp-crossing, fold-crossing or fold-grazing). This enables us to present the first complete map of the parameter space of the equal-mass case by identifying regions in which light curves feature the same number and nature of peaks. We find that the total number of morphologies that can be obtained is 73 out of 232 different regions. The partition of the parameter space so-obtained provides a new key to optimize modelling of observed events through a clever choice of initial conditions for fitting algorithms.