Simulator for Microlens Planet Surveys

TL;DR

This paper presents a computer simulator for microlens planet surveys that generates synthetic light curves, models observational conditions, and evaluates detection capabilities to optimize exoplanet discovery strategies.

Contribution

The simulator incorporates detailed models of sky brightness and seeing, calibrated with real data, and evaluates detection efficiency for different telescope networks.

Findings

Calibration of sky brightness and seeing models with OGLE and RoboNet data

Identification of observable event intervals considering celestial positions

Comparison of detection capabilities across various telescopes

Abstract

We summarize the status of a computer simulator for microlens planet surveys. The simulator generates synthetic light curves of microlensing events observed with specified networks of telescopes over specified periods of time. Particular attention is paid to models for sky brightness and seeing, calibrated by fitting to data from the OGLE survey and RoboNet observations in 2011. Time intervals during which events are observable are identified by accounting for positions of the Sun and the Moon, and other restrictions on telescope pointing. Simulated observations are then generated for an algorithm that adjusts target priorities in real time with the aim of maximizing planet detection zone area summed over all the available events. The exoplanet detection capability of observations was compared for several telescopes.