Letters of Intent received in 2019

LoI 2021-2102
Microlensing in the 2020s: From Planet Formation to Dark Matter

Topics

The planet occurrence rate beyond the snow line, its dependence on planet mass, and on the properties of the host star
The occurrence rate and mass dependence of free-floating planets
Synergies between microlensing and other planet-detection methods
Measuring and characterizing the Galaxy’s remnant population with microlensing, including the mass functions for neutron stars and black holes that are not parts of binaries
Prospects for follow-up of microlensing planets hosts: From spectroscopy to adaptive optics imaging

Rationale

It has now been over thirty years since the seminal work of Paczynski (1986) paved the stage for the current boom in microlensing studies. Microlensing surveys such as OGLE, and the Korean-built and administered KMTnet, now provide the best determinations of the planet function beyond the snow line, as well as arguably being the best variable star databases.

The coming decade will see an even greater boom in microlensing studies, largely due to WFIRST, a NASA mission for which one of the core programs will be monitoring of a Galactic bulge window over ~400 days. This mission will provide the best determination of the occurrence rate of Earth-like planets, as well as a measure of the planet occurrence rate at the snow line (a ~ 3 au) down to Mars-mass objects. Greater coordination between the microlensing field and other areas, such as Galactic modelling and adaptive optics imaging, are a prerequisite for the optimal harvesting of these data.

Other info:
Nicholas Rattenbury and Łukasz Wyrzykowski, of New Zealand and Poland, have agreed to serve as the editors.

We will have an LOC in place by the time of the December 15th deadline.