ROME/REA : a gravitational microlensing search for exoplanets beyond the snow line on a global network of robotic telescopes
Abstract
Planet population synthesis models predict an abundance of planets with semimajor axes between 1 and 10 au, yet they lie at the edge of the detection limits of most planet finding techniques. Discovering these planets and studying their distribution is critical to understanding the physical processes that drive planet formation. ROME/REA is a gravitational microlensing project whose main science driver is to discover exoplanets in the cold outer regions of planetary systems. To achieve this, it uses a novel approach combining a multiband survey with reactive follow-up observations, exploiting the unique capabilities of the Las Cumbres Observatory global network of robotic telescopes combined with a Target and Observation Manager system. We present the main science objectives and a technical overview of the project, including initial results.
Citation
Tsapras , Y , Street , R A , Hundertmark , M , Bachelet , E , Dominik , M , Bozza , V , Cassan , A , Wambsganss , J , Horne , K D , Mao , S , Zang , W , Bramich , D M & Saha , A 2019 , ' ROME/REA : a gravitational microlensing search for exoplanets beyond the snow line on a global network of robotic telescopes ' , Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific , vol. 131 , no. 1006 , 1244401 , pp. 1-12 . https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/ab3b19
Publication
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0004-6280Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2019 The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All rights reserved. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/ab3b19
Description
Funding: KH acknowledges support from STFC grant ST/R000824/1.Collections
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