Diffractive Microlensing I: Flickering Planetesimals at the Edge of the Solar System

TL;DR

This paper explores how diffraction and gravitational lensing affect the observation of distant Kuiper-Belt objects and Oort cloud objects during stellar occultations, revealing potential for new detection methods.

Contribution

It introduces the significance of diffraction and gravitational lensing effects in microlensing studies of distant Solar System objects, extending traditional geometric optics models.

Findings

Diffraction effects become significant at longer wavelengths and greater distances.

Gravitational lensing can be detected during occultations of distant stars.

Observations can constrain the mass and radius of Kuiper-Belt and Oort cloud objects.

Abstract

Microlensing and occultation are generally studied in the geometric optics limit. However, diffraction may be important when recently discovered Kuiper-Belt objects (KBOs) occult distant stars. In particular the effects of diffraction become more important as the wavelength of the observation and the distance to the KBO increase. For sufficiently distant and massive KBOs or Oort cloud objects not only is diffraction important but so is gravitational lensing. For an object similar to Eris but located in the Oort cloud, the signature of gravitational lensing would be detected easily during an occultation and would give constraints on the mass and radius of the object.