KMT-2016-BLG-1836Lb: A Super-Jovian Planet From A High-Cadence Microlensing Field

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a super-Jovian exoplanet via high-cadence microlensing observations, providing insights into planetary system characteristics and potential population features like a mass ratio desert.

Contribution

The study presents the detection and characterization of a super-Jovian planet through microlensing, with detailed Bayesian analysis and implications for planetary demographics.

Findings

Discovery of a super-Jovian planet with mass ~2.2 M_J

Planet located beyond the snowline at ~3.5 AU

Identification of a potential mass ratio desert among KMTNet planets

Abstract

We report the discovery of a super-Jovian planet in the microlensing event KMT-2016-BLG-1836, which was found by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network's high-cadence observations (\Gamma ~ 4~{hr}^{-1}). The planet-host mass ratio q ~ 0.004. A Bayesian analysis indicates that the planetary system is composed of a super-Jovian M_{planet} = 2.2_{-1.1}^{+1.9} M_{J} planet orbiting an M or K dwarf M_{\rm host} = 0.49_{-0.25}^{+0.38} M_{Sun}, at a distance of D_{L} = 7.1_{-2.4}^{+0.8} kpc. The projected planet-host separation is 3.5^{+1.1}_{-0.9} AU, implying that the planet is located beyond the snowline of the host star. Future high-resolution images can potentially strongly constrain the lens brightness and thus the mass and distance of the planetary system. Without considering detailed detection efficiency, selection or publication biases, we find a potential "mass ratio desert" at -3.7 \lesssim \log q \lesssim -3.0 for the 31 published KMTNet planets.