Identification of the Microlens in Event MACHO-LMC-20

We report on the identification of the lens responsible for microlensing event MACHO-LMC-20. As part of a Spitzer IRAC program conducting mid-infrared follow-up of the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud microlensing fields, we discovered a significant flux excess at the position of the source star for thi...

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Veröffentlicht in:The Astrophysical journal 2006-12, Vol.652 (2), p.L97-L100
Hauptverfasser: Kallivayalil, Nitya, Patten, Brian M, Marengo, Massimo, Alcock, Charles, Werner, Michael W, Fazio, Giovanni G
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:We report on the identification of the lens responsible for microlensing event MACHO-LMC-20. As part of a Spitzer IRAC program conducting mid-infrared follow-up of the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud microlensing fields, we discovered a significant flux excess at the position of the source star for this event. These data, in combination with high-resolution near-infrared Magellan PANIC data, have allowed us to classify the lens as an early M dwarf in the thick disk of the Milky Way, at a distance of 62 kpc. This is only the second microlens to have been identified, the first also being a M dwarf star in the disk. Together, these two events are still consistent with the expected frequency of nearby stars in the Milky Way thin and thick disks acting as lenses.
ISSN:1538-4357
0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/510293