Simulation of a Space-based Microlensing Survey for Terrestrial Extrasolar Planets

Simulation of a Space-based Microlensing Survey for Terrestrial Extrasolar Planets
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对太阳系外行星的天基微透镜勘测的模拟

DOI:
10.1086/340977
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发表时间:
2000
期刊:
The Astrophysical Journal
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
S. Rhie
S. Rhie
中科院分区:
--
文献类型:
--
作者:
D. Bennett;S. Rhie

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我们表明,对太阳系外行星进行天基引力微透镜勘测在不久的将来是可行的,并且可以提供银河系行星系统特性的近乎完整的图像。我们使用具有约 2 deg2 视场的 1-2 m 孔径太空望远镜对此类调查进行模拟,以连续监测约 108 颗银河核球主序星。微透镜技术可以发现具有高信噪比的低质量行星,而我们研究的太空任务对质量与火星一样低的行星很敏感。通过瞄准只能从太空中解析的主序源恒星,天基微透镜巡天能够探测到来自透镜体恒星的足够光,以确定三分之一具有检测到行星的透镜体恒星的光谱类型,包括几乎所有的 F、G 和 K 星,它们构成了事件样本的四分之一。这使得能够确定行星质量和物理单位的距离,以及行星的丰度作为恒星类型和距银河中心距离的函数。我们表明,天基微透镜行星搜索程序对轨道间隔为 0.7-10 天文单位的行星具有最高的灵敏度,但它在更大的间隔下也具有显着的灵敏度,并且能够探测大量自由漂浮的行星。这补充了计划中的类地行星凌日任务,该任务对间距≤1天文单位的类地行星敏感。这样的任务还应该通过凌日探测到约 50,000 颗巨行星,因此,它是唯一提出的对所有轨道半径的行星都敏感的行星探测方法。
We show that a space-based gravitational microlensing survey for terrestrial extrasolar planets is feasible in the near future and could provide a nearly complete picture of the properties of planetary systems in our Galaxy. We present simulations of such a survey using a 1-2 m aperture space telescope with a ~2 deg2 field of view to continuously monitor ~108 Galactic bulge main-sequence stars. The microlensing techniques allow the discovery of low-mass planets with high signal-to-noise ratio, and the space missions that we have studied are sensitive to planets with masses as low as that of Mars. By targeting main-sequence source stars, which can only be resolved from space, the space-based microlensing survey is able to detect enough light from the lens stars to determine the spectral type of one-third of the lens stars with detected planets, including virtually all of the F, G, and K stars, which comprise one-quarter of the event sample. This enables the determination of the planetary masses and separations in physical units as well as the abundance of planets as a function of stellar type and distance from the Galactic center. We show that a space-based microlensing planet search program has its highest sensitivity to planets at orbital separations of 0.7-10 AU, but it will also have significant sensitivity at larger separations and will be able to detect free-floating planets in significant numbers. This complements the planned terrestrial planet transit missions, which are sensitive to terrestrial planets at separations of ≤1 AU. Such a mission should also detect ~50,000 giant planets via transits, and it is, therefore, the only proposed planet detection method that is sensitive to planets at all orbital radii.
DOI: 10.1006/icar.1999.6299
发表时间: 2000
期刊: Icarus
影响因子: 3.2
作者:
V. Mannings;A. Boss;S. Russell
通讯作者: V. Mannings;A. Boss;S. Russell