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Measurement of the Free-Floating Planet Mass Function with Simultaneous Euclid and WFIRST Microlensing Parallax Observations

Authors :
Penny, Matthew T.
Bachelet, Etienne
Johnson, Samson
Beaulieu, Jean-Phillipe
Kerins, Eamonn
Rhodes, Jason
Akeson, Rachel
Bennett, David
Beichman, Charles
Bhattacharya, Aparna
Bozza, Valerio
Calchi Novati, Sebastiano
Gaudi, B. Scott
Henderson, Calen B.
Mao, Shude
Poleski, Radek
Ranc, Clément
Sahu, Kailash C.
Shvartzvald, Yossi
Street, Rachel
Penny, Matthew T.
Bachelet, Etienne
Johnson, Samson
Beaulieu, Jean-Phillipe
Kerins, Eamonn
Rhodes, Jason
Akeson, Rachel
Bennett, David
Beichman, Charles
Bhattacharya, Aparna
Bozza, Valerio
Calchi Novati, Sebastiano
Gaudi, B. Scott
Henderson, Calen B.
Mao, Shude
Poleski, Radek
Ranc, Clément
Sahu, Kailash C.
Shvartzvald, Yossi
Street, Rachel
Publication Year :
2019

Abstract

Free-floating planets are the remnants of violent dynamical rearrangements of planetary systems. It is possible that even our own solar system ejected a large planet early in its evolution. WFIRST will have the ability to detect free-floating planets over a wide range of masses, but it will not be able to directly measure their masses. Microlensing parallax observations can be used to measure the masses of isolated objects, including free-floating planets, by observing their microlensing events from two locations. The intra-L2 separation between WFIRST and Euclid is large enough to enable microlensing parallax measurements, especially given the exquisite photometric precision that both spacecraft are capable of over wide fields. In this white paper we describe how a modest investment of observing time could yield hundreds of parallax measurements for WFIRST's bound and free-floating planets. We also describe how a short observing campaign of precursor observations by Euclid can improve WFIRST's bound planet and host star mass measurements.

Details

Database :
OAIster
Notes :
application/pdf, Measurement of the Free-Floating Planet Mass Function with Simultaneous Euclid and WFIRST Microlensing Parallax Observations, English
Publication Type :
Electronic Resource
Accession number :
edsoai.on1138906481
Document Type :
Electronic Resource