The pairwise velocity difference of over 2000 BHB stars in the Milky Way halo

Models of hierarchical galaxy formation predict that the extended stellar halos of galaxies like our Milky Way show a great deal of sub-structure, arising from disrupted satellites. Spatial sub-structure is directly observed, and has been quantified, in the Milky Way＇s stellar halo. Phase-space conservation implies that there should be sub-structure in position-velocity space. Here, we aim to quantify such position-velocity sub-structure, using a state-of-the art data set having over 2000 blue horizontal branch （BHB） stars with photometry and spectroscopy from SDSS. For stars in dynamically cold streams （＂young＂ streams）, we expect that pairs of objects that are physically close also have similar velocities. Therefore, we apply the well-established ＂pairwise velocity difference＂ （PVD） statistic （｜ △Vlos ｜） （△r）, where we expect （｜ △Vlos ｜） to drop for small separations At. We calculate the PVD for the SDSS BHB sample and find 〈｜ △Vlos ｜〉（△r） ≈ const., i.e. no such signal. By making mock-observations of the simulations by Bullock ＆ Johnston and applying the same statistic, we show that for individual, dynamically young streams, or assemblages of such streams, （｜ △Vlos ｜） drops for small distance separations At, as qualitatively expected. However, for a realistic complete set of halo streams, the pair-wise velocity difference shows no signal, as the simulated halos are dominated by ＂dynamically old＂ phase-mixed streams. Our findings imply that the sparse sampling and the sample sizes in SDSS DR6 are still insufficient to use the position-velocity sub-structure for a stringent quantitative data-model comparison. Therefore, alternate statistics must be explored and much more densely sampled surveys, dedicated to the structure of the Milky Way, such as LAMOST, are needed.

Characterizing microlensing planetary system OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb with adaptive optics imaging

We constrain the host-star flux of the microlensing planet OGLE-2014-BLG-0676 Lb using adaptive optics(AO)images taken by the Magellan and Keck telescopes.We measure the flux of the light blended with the microlensed source to be K=16.79±0.04 mag and J=17.76±0.03 mag.Assuming that the blend is the lens star,we find that the host is a 0.73_(-0.29)^(+0.14)M_(⊙)star at a distance of2.67_(-1.41)^(+0.77)kpc,where the relatively large uncertainty in angular Einstein radius measurement is the major source of uncertainty.With mass of M_(p)=3.68_(-1.44)^(+0.69)M_J,the planet is likely a"super Jupiter"at a projected separation of r_(⊥)=4.53_(-2.50)^(+1.49)AU,and a degenerate model yields a similar M_p=3.73_(-1.47)^(+0.73)M_(J)at a closer separation of r_(⊥)=2.56_(-1.41)^(+0.84)AU.Our estimates are consistent with the previous Bayesian analysis based on a Galactic model.OGLE-2014-BLG-0676 Lb belongs to a sample of planets discovered in a"secondgeneration"planetary microlensing survey and we attempt to systematically constrain host properties of this sample with high-resolution imaging to study the distribution of planets.

Masses for free-floating planets and dwarf planets

The mass and distance functions of free-floating planets(FFPs) would give major insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems, including any systematic differences between those in the disk and bulge. We show that the only way to measure the mass and distance of individual FFPs over a broad range of distances is to observe them simultaneously from two observatories separated by D ~ O(0.01 au)(to measure their microlens parallax πE) and to focus on the finite-source point-lens(FSPL) events(which yield the Einstein radius θE). By combining the existing KMTNet 3-telescope observatory with a 0.3 m 4 deg2 telescope at L2, of order 130 such measurements could be made over four years, down to about M ~ 6 M⊕for bulge FFPs and M ~ 0.7 M⊕for disk FFPs. The same experiment would return masses and distances for many bound planetary systems. A more ambitious experiment, with two 0.5 m satellites(one at L2 and the other nearer Earth) and similar camera layout but in the infrared, could measure masses and distances of sub-Moon mass objects, and thereby probe(and distinguish between) genuine sub-Moon FFPs and sub-Moon "dwarf planets" in exo-Kuiper Belts and exo-Oort Clouds.

An Earth-mass planet in a time of COVID-19:KMT-2020-BLG-0414Lb

We report the discovery of KMT-2020-BLG-0414 Lb,with a planet-to-host mass ratio q2=0.9-1.2×10-5=3-4 q⊕at 1σ,which is the lowest mass-ratio microlensing planet to date.Together with two other recent discoveries(4?q/q⊕?6),it fills out the previous empty sector at the bottom of the triangular(log s,log q)diagram,where s is the planet-host separation in units of the angular Einstein radiusθE.Hence,these discoveries call into question the existence,or at least the strength,of the break in the mass-ratio function that was previously suggested to account for the paucity of very low-q planets.Due to the extreme magnification of the event,Amax~1450 for the underlying single-lens event,its light curve revealed a second companion with q3~0.05 and|log s3|~1,i.e.,a factor~10 closer to or farther from the host in projection.The measurements of the microlens parallaxπE and the angular Einstein radiusθE allow estimates of the host,planet and second companion masses,(M1,M2,M3)~(0.3 M⊙,1.0 M⊕,17 MJ),the planet and second companion projected separations,(a⊥,2,a⊥,3)~(1.5,0.15 or 15)au,and system distance DL~1 kpc.The lens could account for most or all of the blended light(I~19.3)and so can be studied immediately with high-resolution photometric and spectroscopic observations that can further clarify the nature of the system.The planet was found as part of a new program of high-cadence follow-up observations of high-magnification events.The detection of this planet,despite the considerable difficulties imposed by COVID-19(two KMT sites and OGLE were shut down),illustrates the potential utility of this program.

Optimization of the transmitted wavefront for the infrared adaptive optics system

The adaptive optics system for the second-generation Very Large Telescope-interferometer(VLTI)instrument GRAVITY consists of a novel cryogenic near-infrared wavefront sensor to be installed at each of the four unit telescopes of the Very Large Telescope(VLT).Feeding the GRAVITY wavefront sensor with light in the 1.4–2.4μm band,while suppressing laser light originating from the GRAVITY metrology system requires custom-built optical componets.In this paper,we present the development of a quantitative near-infraredpoint diffraction interferometric characterization technique,which allows measuring the transmitted wavefront error of the silicon entrance windows of the wavefront sensor cryostat.The technique can be readily applied to quantitative phase measurements in the near-infrared regime.Moreover,by employing a slightly off-axis optical setup,the proposed method can optimize the required spatial resolution and enable real time measurement capabilities.The feasibility of the proposed setup is demonstrated,followed by a theoretical analysis and experimental results.Our experimental results show that the phase error repeatability in the nanometer regime can be achieved.