Candidate extrasolar planet transits discovered in the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics-I Galactic bulge data.

We present the results of a search for candidate planetary transits using the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics-I (MOA-I) microlensing survey data in the Galactic bulge. To achieve sufficient photometric precision, the analysis was confined to a selected subset of stars on selected images. Periodicities of light curves were found with a Box fitting Least Squares (BLS) procedure. This yielded 12 candidates. The derived radii of the candidates ranged from 1.7 to 3.2 RJ, consistent with interpretations in terms of blended binaries, late M dwarfs or strongly irradiated giant planets. Follow-up spectroscopic observations would be required to identify actual planets amongst the candidates by radial velocity variations. The results confirm that microlensing surveys provide an effective means for finding candidate planetary transits. It is anticipated that the recently commissioned MOA-II telescope will provide further candidates in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]