Related papers: Towards sub-milliarcsecond astrometric precision u…
Earth-like extra-solar planets may be detected with 1-2m class telescopes using the gravitational microlensing technique. The essential requirement is the ability to be able to carry out continuous observations of the galactic bulge. A…
We present an analysis of the potential follow-up polarimetry microlensing observation to study the stellar atmospheres of the distant stars. First, we produce synthetic microlensing events using the Galactic model, stellar population, and…
Follow the big stars! I review the theory of detection and parameter measurement of planetary systems by follow-up observations of ongoing microlensing events. Two parameters can generically be measured from the event itself: the…
We present a conceptual design for a space based Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST) which will use the gravitational microlensing technique to detect extra solar planets with masses as low as that of Mars at all separations >~ 1 AU.…
Synthetic tracking (ST) has emerged as a potent technique for observing fast-moving near-Earth objects (NEOs), offering enhanced detection sensitivity and astrometric accuracy by avoiding trailing loss. This approach also empowers small…
We show that high quality laser guide star (LGS) adaptive optics (AO) observations of nearby early-type galaxies are possible when the tip-tilt correction is done by guiding on nuclei while the focus compensation due to the changing…
Weak lensing provides a direct measure of the distribution of mass in the universe, and is therefore a uniquely powerful probe of dark matter. Weak lensing can also be used to measure the twin phenomenon of dark energy, via its effect upon…
More than 450 exoplanets are known and this number increases nearly every day. Only a few constraints on their orbital parameters and physical characteristics can be determined, as most exoplanets are detected indirectly. Measuring the…
A wide range of techniques have been developed to search for particle dark matter, including direct detection, indirect detection, and collider searches. The prospects for the detection of neutralino dark matter is quite promising for each…
Transforming the instrumental photometry of ground-based telescopes into a calibrated physical flux in a well-defined passband is a major challenge in astronomy. Along with the intrinsic instrumental difference between telescopes sharing…
High precision differential Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that evaluates the relative position, distance and motion of celestial objects with respect to the stars present in the field of view. A mission called Theia has been…
The Antarctic TianMu Staring Observation Program is a time-domain optical sky survey project carried out in Antarctica, capable of large sky coverage, high-cadence sampling, and long-period staring. It utilizes the exceptional observing…
The standard siren approach of gravitational wave cosmology appeals to the direct luminosity distance estimation through the waveform signals from inspiralling double compact binaries, especially those with electromagnetic counterparts…
(abridged) The technique of gravitational microlensing is currently unique in its ability to provide a sample of terrestrial exoplanets around both Galactic disk and bulge stars, allowing to measure their abundance and determine their…
Is it possible to find imprints of a black hole ringdown through gravitational lensing? To address this question, we formulate an analytic description of weak-field and strong-deflection lensing of light in a time-dependent, perturbed…
Gravitational lensing is an important prediction of general relativity, providing both its test and a tool to detect faint but amplified sources and to measure masses of lenses. For some applications (e.g. testing the theory), a point…
Ultralight dark matter induces time-dependent perturbations in the spacetime metric, enabling its gravitational direct detection. In this work, we propose using astrometry to detect dark matter. After reviewing the calculation of the metric…
Gravitational microlensing is known for baryoninc dark matter searches. Here we show that microlensing also provides a unique tool for the detection of low mass planets (such as earths and neptunes) from the ground. A planetary system forms…
We use detailed simulations of the Gaia observations of synthetic planetary systems and develop and utilize independent software codes in double-blind mode to analyze the data, including statistical tools for planet detection and different…
Interferometric observations of gravitational microlensing events offer an opportunity for precise, efficient, and direct mass and distance measurements of lensing objects, especially those of isolated neutron stars and black holes.…