Diffractive Microlensing: A New Probe of the Local Universe

TL;DR

This paper introduces diffractive microlensing as a novel method to study nearby substellar objects by analyzing diffraction patterns in gravitational lensing, which can reveal properties like mass and distance.

Contribution

It proposes using diffraction effects in microlensing to break degeneracies and improve measurements of substellar objects in the local universe.

Findings

Diffraction effects are detectable with SKA for giant stars in the bulge.

Diffractive signatures help determine lens mass, distance, and proper motion.

Potential to identify and characterize nearby substellar objects.

Abstract

Diffraction is important when nearby substellar objects gravitationally lens distant stars. If the wavelength of the observation is comparable to the Schwarzschild radius of lensing object, diffraction leaves an observable imprint on the lensing signature. The SKA may have sufficient sensitivity to detect the typical sources, giant stars in the bulge. The diffractive signatures in a lensing event break the degeneracies between the mass of the lens, its distance and proper motion.