The new frontiers of gravitational microlensing

Abstract

Albert Einstein referred to gravitational microlensing as a “most curious effect”, and while its underlying principles are intriguingly simple, their universality makes a powerful tool for inferring information about a wide range of astronomical bodies. Much has happened since the first observation of a gravitational microlensing event in 1992, and the frontiers have shifted. What we did not dare dreaming about just a few decades ago turned into reality, and we have not reached the end of the journey. New challenges and opportunities lie ahead. Where might we be able to go and how can we get there?