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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1–6Cite as

Microlensing Planets

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Definition

According to the theory of general relativity, the path of a light ray is bent by the gravitational effect of a mass in its path. This mass can act as a lens. In microlensing technique, planets are detected when the planet-host system (the “lens”) passes close to the line of sight of a more distant star (the “source”). The gravitational force of the planet-star system splits the source light into multiple images whose changing magnification as the planet-star moves across the line of sight to the source star generates a distinctive “light curve” (e.g., Gould and Loeb 1992). With one major exception, this central characteristic of microlensing accounts for all its key features, both its advantages and its challenges. In this respect, gravitational microlensing differs from all other planet-search techniques in that it does not depend on light from either the planet or its host star.

Overview

Because microlensing does not depend on the light from the planet-hosting star, it is...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 W. 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Andrew Gould

  2. Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Nader Haghighipour

Authors
  1. Andrew Gould
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  2. Nader Haghighipour
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Gould .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gould, A., Haghighipour, N. (2014). Microlensing Planets. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_989-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_989-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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