Gravitational Microlensing
Abstract
Gravitational microlensing is a unique planet-detection method that does not rely on detecting light from the host star or planet. Instead, planets are discovered when their gravitational field perturbs the light coming from a distant source. The mechanics of this method offer several advantages. It has the ability to detect wide-orbit planets of various masses around host stars of different types, at and beyond the system's snow line. Thus, microlensing complements the other detecting techniques that are more sensitive to close-orbit or high-mass planets. In this Chapter, we review the microlensing method and discuss how the physical properties, such as mass and distance, can be extracted from the microlensing light curve or from additional high-angular resolution observations. Microlensing is essential for the broader context of exoplanet demographics, as it can place constraints on planets, in wide orbits, beyond the {\it snow line}. Studying this parameter space can help us unravel the details of planet formation and how our own Solar System formed. Lastly, we provide an example of how to model a light curve and obtain accurate physical parameters for the host and planet.
Related
- Impact of the Host Galaxy on the Search for Gravitational-Wave Microlensing by Compact Objects
- Gravitational-Wave Microlensing as a Probe of Compact Object Population
- Biases in Ringdown Tests of General Relativity from Gravitational-Wave Microlensing
- On the Detectability of Compact Multi-Planet Systems via Gravitational Microlensing
- Poisson Clustering and Seed Effect of PBHs: Implications for Microlensing, Gravitational Waves, Little Red Dots and Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies
BibTeX
@misc{vandorou2026gravitational,
title = {{Gravitational Microlensing}},
author = {Aikaterini Vandorou and Stela Ishitani Silva},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.11637},
eprint = {2610.11637},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11637},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Gravitational Microlensing
AU - Aikaterini Vandorou
AU - Stela Ishitani Silva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.11637
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11637
AB - Gravitational microlensing is a unique planet-detection method that does not rely on detecting light from the host star or planet. Instead, planets are discovered when their gravitational field perturbs the light coming from a distant source. The mechanics of this method offer several advantages. It has the ability to detect wide-orbit planets of various masses around host stars of different types, at and beyond the system's snow line. Thus, microlensing complements the other detecting techniques that are more sensitive to close-orbit or high-mass planets. In this Chapter, we review the microlensing method and discuss how the physical properties, such as mass and distance, can be extracted from the microlensing light curve or from additional high-angular resolution observations. Microlensing is essential for the broader context of exoplanet demographics, as it can place constraints on planets, in wide orbits, beyond the {\it snow line}. Studying this parameter space can help us unravel the details of planet formation and how our own Solar System formed. Lastly, we provide an example of how to model a light curve and obtain accurate physical parameters for the host and planet.
ER -