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Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy
A Microlensing Detection Algorithm For Wide-Field Surveys, Daniel Godines Alcantara
A Microlensing Detection Algorithm For Wide-Field Surveys, Daniel Godines Alcantara
Senior Projects Spring 2018
Gravitational microlensing is a rare event in which the light from a foreground star (source star) is amplified temporarily as it goes around the Einstein radius of another star (lens star). This only occurs when the two stars align with the line of sight of the observer. The significance of microlensing is that it allows for the detection of planets, as when a planet orbiting the lensing star aligns within the Einstein radius, it acts as an additional lens that further amplifies the light. This results in a gaussian-like light curve with an additional deviation on the curve. Unlike transit …