Next Generation Microlensing Planet Search Analysis and Observations

大卫·班尼特博士将与世界各地的几个研究团队合作，继续在圣母大学进行微透镜行星搜索计划。微光效应是一种引力现象，当另一颗恒星几乎直接从它前面经过时，它会显著放大远处恒星的亮度。后一颗恒星被称为“透镜”，在微透镜事件期间，远处恒星的亮度上升和下降的方式可以用来探测透镜恒星(通常看不到)周围的行星。在这个项目中，班尼特博士将致力于改进用于探测行星的分析技术，特别是增加在未来的微透镜事件中探测到的行星的数量，并对双行星或多行星透镜的放大进行建模。该项目将强调国际合作，因为微透镜观测是由世界各地的许多不同组织进行的。国际和平研究所将把他的技术专长和软件转让给国际科学界，以确保为该项目提供硬件的人也将分享科学发现，并使新的调查人员能够了解微透镜分析的技术细节。该项目的影响也延伸到业余科学家和普通公众。

Dr. David Bennett will continue the microlensing planet search program at the University of Notre Dame in collaboration with several research teams around the world. Mirolensing is a gravitational phenomenon which produces a significant amplification of the brightness of a distant star when another star passes almost directly in front of it. The latter star is called the "lens," and the manner in which the distant star's brightness rises and falls during a microlensing event can be used to detect planets around the (generally unseen) lens star. In this project, Dr. Bennett will work to improve the analysis techniques used to detect planets, in particular to increase the number of planets detected in future microlensing events and to model the amplification from binary or multiple-planet lenses.This project will emphasize international collaboration, since microlensing observations are performed by many different groups worldwide. The PI will transfer his technical expertise and software to the international scientific community to ensure that those who provide the hardware for this project will also share in the scientific discovery, and to enable new investigators to learn the technical details of microlensing analysis. The impact of the project also extends to amateur scientists and the general public.