scholarly journals 6.12. Microlensing and dynamics of the Galactic bulge

1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 285-286
Author(s):  
H.S. Zhao

Microlensing (μ—lensing) towards the bulge started out as a unique technique of detecting dark objects in the Galactic disc (brown dwarfs) by measuring a rare transient brightening of one star among millions of stars in the Galactic bulge (Paczyński 1991). More than 200 events have been detected towards the Bulge since 1993 by the DUO, MACHO, OGLE etc. survey teams. But where are the lenses? Are they truly dark objects or merely faint stars? I show the results on the mass function, spatial distribution and dynamics of these observed lenses based on a dynamical model of the Galactic bar.

2003 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 181-182
Author(s):  
Paul D. Dobbie ◽  
Richard F. Jameson ◽  
Samantha L. Osborne ◽  
Simon T. Hodgkin ◽  
David J. Pinfield

We have compiled the largest magnitude limited sample of candidate substellar Pleiads to date. We fit King profiles to their spatial distribution to determine the Pleiades brown dwarf core radius to be Subsequently we have used our improved spatial model to place stringent limits on the shape of the cluster mass function across and below the stellar/substellar regime. We find this to be a power law with index α = 0.41±0.08 (0.3M⊙ ≥M≥ 0.035M⊙). Extrapolation of this mass function to M= 0.012M⊙ indicates that brown dwarfs contribute only ~ 2% to the total mass of the cluster hence we conclude that brown dwarfs do not contribute significantly to disk dark matter.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindita Hamolli ◽  
Mimoza Hafizi ◽  
Francesco De Paolis ◽  
Achille A. Nucita

In recent years free-floating planets (FFPs) have drawn a great interest among astrophysicists. Gravitational microlensing is a unique and exclusive method for their investigation which may allow obtaining precious information about their mass and spatial distribution. The planned Euclid space-based observatory will be able to detect a substantial number of microlensing events caused by FFPs towards the Galactic bulge. Making use of a synthetic population algorithm, we investigate the possibility of detecting finite source effects in simulated microlensing events due to FFPs. We find a significant efficiency for finite source effect detection that turns out to be between 20% and 40% for a FFP power law mass function index in the range [0.9, 1.6]. For many of such events it will also be possible to measure the angular Einstein radius and therefore constrain the lens physical parameters. These kinds of observations will also offer a unique possibility to investigate the photosphere and atmosphere of Galactic bulge stars.


2002 ◽  
Vol 335 (3) ◽  
pp. 853-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Jameson ◽  
P. D. Dobbie ◽  
S. T. Hodgkin ◽  
D. J. Pinfield

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1350072 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. HAMOLLI ◽  
M. HAFIZI ◽  
A. A. NUCITA

Free-floating planets (FFPs) are recently drawing a special interest of the scientific community. Gravitational microlensing is up to now the exclusive method for the investigation of FFPs, including their spatial distribution function and mass function. In this paper, we examine the possibility that the future Euclid space-based observatory may allow to discover a substantial number of microlensing events caused by FFPs. Based on latest results about the free-floating planet (FFP) mass function in the mass range [10-5, 10-2]M⊙, we calculate the optical depth towards the Galactic bulge as well as the expected microlensing rate and find that Euclid may be able to detect hundreds to thousands of these events per month. Making use of a synthetic population, we also investigate the possibility of detecting parallax effect in simulated microlensing events due to FFPs and find a significant efficiency for the parallax detection that turns out to be around 30%.


1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 423-424
Author(s):  
Motohide Tamura ◽  
Yoichi Itoh ◽  
Yumiko Oasa ◽  
Alan Tokunaga ◽  
Koji Sugitani

Abstract In order to tackle the problems of low-mass end of the initial mass function (IMF) in star-forming regions and the formation mechanisms of brown dwarfs, we have conducted deep infrared surveys of nearby molecular clouds. We have found a significant population of very low-luminosity sources with IR excesses in the Taurus cloud and the Chamaeleon cloud core regions whose extinction corrected J magnitudes are 3 to 8 mag fainter than those of typical T Tauri stars in the same cloud. Some of them are associated with even fainter companions. Follow-up IR spectroscopy has confirmed for the selected sources that their photospheric temperature is around 2000 to 3000 K. Thus, these very low-luminosity young stellar sources are most likely very low-mass T Tauri stars, and some of them might even be young brown dwarfs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (1) ◽  
pp. L90-L94
Author(s):  
F A Ferreira ◽  
W J B Corradi ◽  
F F S Maia ◽  
M S Angelo ◽  
J F C Santos

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of 34 new open clusters and candidates as a result of a systematic search carried out in 200 adjacent fields of 1 × 1 deg2 area projected towards the Galactic bulge, using Gaia DR2 data. The objects were identified and characterized by a joint analysis of their photometric, kinematic, and spatial distribution that has been consistently used and proved to be effective in our previous works. The discoveries were validated by cross-referencing the objects position and astrometric parameters with the available literature. Besides their coordinates and astrometric parameters, we also provide sizes, ages, distances, and reddening for the discovered objects. In particular, 32 clusters are closer than 2 kpc from the Sun, which represents an increment of nearly $39{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of objects with astrophysical parameters determined in the nearby inner disc. Although these objects fill an important gap in the open clusters distribution along the Sagittarius arm, this arm, traced by known clusters, appears to be interrupted, which may be an artefact due to the incompleteness of the cluster census.


2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A147 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Zoccali ◽  
E. Valenti ◽  
O. A. Gonzalez

Context.Recent spectroscopic surveys of the Galactic bulge have unambiguously shown that the bulge contains two main components, which are best separated by their iron content, but also differ in spatial distribution, kinematics, and abundance ratios. The so-called metal poor component peaks at [Fe/H] ∼ −0.4, while the metal rich component peaks at [Fe/H] ∼ +0.3. The total metallicity distribution function is therefore bimodal with a dip at [Fe/H] ∼ 0. The relative fraction of the two components changes significantly across the bulge area. Aims. We provide, for the first time, the fractional contribution of the metal poor and metal rich stars to the stellar mass budget of the Galactic bulge and its variation across the bulge area. Methods. This result follows from the combination of the stellar mass profile obtained empirically, by our group, from VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea data, with the relative fraction of metal poor and metal rich stars, across the bulge area, derived from the GIRAFFE Inner Bulge spectroscopic Survey. Results. We find that metal poor stars make up 48% of the total stellar mass of the bulge, within the region |l| < 10, |b| < 9.5 and that the remaining 52% are made up of metal rich stars. The latter dominate the mass budget at intermediate latitudes |b| ∼ 4, but become marginal in the outer bulge (|b| > 8). The metal poor component is more axisymmetric than the metal rich component, and it is at least comparable and possibly slightly dominant in the inner few degrees. As a result, the metal poor component, which does not follow the main bar, is not marginal in terms of the total mass budget as previously thought, and this new observational evidence must be included in bulge models. While the trend of the total radial velocity dispersion follows the total stellar mass, when we examine the velocity dispersion of each component individually, we find that metal poor stars have higher velocity dispersion where they make up a smaller fraction of the stellar mass, and vice versa. This is due to the kinematical and spatial distribution of the two metallicity components being significantly different, as already discussed in the literature.


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