Can gravitational microlensing detect extragalactic exoplanets? Self-lensing models of the Small Magellanic Cloud [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1712.03986


We use three-dimensional distributions of classical Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) to model the stellar density distribution of a young and old stellar population in that galaxy. We use these models to estimate the microlensing self-lensing optical depth to the SMC, which is in excellent agreement with the observations. Thus, we estimate the total stellar mass of the SMC of about 1.0 x 10^9 MSun under assumption that all microlensing events toward this galaxy are caused by self-lensing. We also calculate the expected event rates and estimate that future large-scale surveys, like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), will be able to detect up to a few dozen microlensing events in the SMC annually. If the planet frequency in the SMC is similar to that in the Milky Way, a few extragalactic planets can be detected over the course of the LSST survey, provided significant changes in the SMC observing strategy are devised. A relatively small investment of LSST resources can give us a unique probe of the population of extragalactic exoplanets.

Read this paper on arXiv…

P. Mroz and R. Poleski
Wed, 13 Dec 17
7/84

Comments: submitted to ApJ