Cheap Space-Based Microlens Parallaxes for High-Magnification Events

TL;DR

The paper proposes a cost-effective method to measure microlens parallaxes in high-magnification events using minimal satellite observations, enabling better mass and distance estimates for lenses and planets.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach requiring only three or fewer satellite measurements to accurately determine microlens parallaxes in high-magnification events.

Findings

Requires 1-3 satellite measurements for accurate parallax

Enables mass and distance determination for most high-magnification events

Facilitates better understanding of Galactic planet distribution

Abstract

We show that for high-magnification (Amax > 100) microlensing events, accurate microlens parallaxes can be obtained from three or fewer photometric measurements from a small telescope on a satellite in solar orbit at ~1 AU from Earth. This is 1--2 orders of magnitude less observing resources than are required for standard space-based parallaxes. Such microlens parallax measurements would yield accurate mass and distance measurements to the lens for all cases in which finite-source effects were observed from the ground over peak. This would include virtually all high-magnification events with detected planets and a substantial fraction of those without. Hence it would permit accurate estimates of the Galactic distribution of planets.