Microlensing Searches for Exoplanets

TL;DR

Microlensing is a powerful astronomical method for detecting exoplanets by observing brightness variations in background stars caused by gravitational effects, with ongoing challenges and promising future developments.

Contribution

This review comprehensively explains the theoretical background, observational techniques, challenges, and recent findings in the field of microlensing exoplanet searches.

Findings

Key exoplanets discovered via microlensing

Method's unique ability to detect distant and faint planets

Future prospects for microlensing in exoplanet research

Abstract

Gravitational microlensing finds planets through their gravitational influence on the light coming from a more distant background star. The presence of the planet is then inferred from the tell-tale brightness variations of the background star during the lensing event, even if no light is detectable from the planet or the host foreground star. This review covers fundamental theoretical concepts in microlensing, addresses how observations are performed in practice, the~challenges of obtaining accurate measurements, and explains how planets reveal themselves in the data. It~concludes with a presentation of the most important findings to-date, a description of the method's strengths and weaknesses, and a discussion of the future prospects of microlensing.