Related papers: Microlensing of strongly interacting binary system…
I review theoretical models of star formation and how they apply across the stellar mass spectrum. Several distinct theories are under active study for massive star formation, especially Turbulent Core Accretion, Competitive Accretion and…
Photometric observations and analysis of twelve previously poorly studied contact binary systems is presented. All show total eclipses and have extremely low mass ratios ranging from 0.072 to 0.15. Also, all show characteristics of orbital…
Gas in the interstellar matter is generally organized in filamentary structures, which may be also relevant for a complementary explanation of the dark matter in the Galactic halo. We examine the possibility that such structures may act as…
We investigate microlensing in the case where the lens is considered as an extended object. We use a multipolar expansion of the lens potential and show that the time-varying nature of the quadrupole contribution allows to separate it from…
The localization of stellar-mass binary black hole mergers using gravitational waves is critical in understanding the properties of the binaries' host galaxies, observing possible electromagnetic emission from the mergers, or using them as…
Based on the consideration of potential energy of the di-black-hole as a function of mass asymmetry (transfer) collective coordinate, the possibility of matter transfer between the black holes in a binary system is investigated. The…
The most important uncertainty in the results of gravitational microlensing experiments comes from the difficulties of photometry caused by blending of source stars. Recently Nemiroff (1997) pointed out that the results of microlensing…
Light curves of microlensing events involving stellar binaries and planetary systems can provide information about the orbital elements of the system due to orbital modulations of the caustic structure. Accurately measuring the orbit in…
A common remark at conferences and meetings has been: "One can fit any light curve with binary lens models because of the large number of parameters!" It is especially tempting to claim that some of the possible binary events in the…
A brief summary of properties of the contact binaries is presented, with the goal to stress the unsolved problems of their formation and evolution as well as their potential contribution to studies of Galactic stellar populations. The first…
There are two possible causes of variability in gravitationally lensed quasars: intrinsic fluctuations of the quasar and ``microlensing'' by compact objects along the line of sight. If disentangled from each other, microlens-induced…
Here, we study the microlensing of radially pulsating stars. Discerning and characterizing the properties of distant, faint pulsating stars is achievable through high-cadence microlensing observations. Combining stellar variability period…
The high gradient of magnification across the source during both small impact parameter events and caustic crossings offers a unique opportunity for determining the surface brightness profile of the source. Furthermore, models indicate that…
Using a sample of 89 snapshots from 58 hydrodynamic binary galaxy major merger simulations, we find that stellar remnants are mostly oblate while dark matter halos are mostly prolate or triaxial. The stellar minor axis and the halo major…
In a line caustic crossing microlensing event, the caustic line moving across the surface of the source star provides a direct method to measure the integrated luminosity profile of the star. Combined with the enormous brightening at the…
A small fraction of all quasars are strongly lensed and multiply imaged, with usually a galaxy acting as the main lens. Some, maybe all of these quasars are also affected by microlensing, the effects of stellar mass objects in the lensing…
Microlensing is a powerful tool for studying stellar atmospheres because as the source crosses regions of formally infinite magnification (caustics) the surfaceof the star is resolved, thereby allowing one to measure the radial intensity…
In the process of analyzing an observed light curve, one often confronts various scenarios that can mimic the planetary signals causing difficulties in the accurate interpretation of the lens system. In this paper, we present the analysis…
We use the framework of microlensing to show that observations of binary systems, such as those made by {\it Gaia}, combined with follow-up weak lensing measurements, can provide a means to probe halos of exotic matter, possibly clumped…
Our current understanding of the physical processes of star formation is reviewed, with emphasis on processes occurring in molecular clouds like those observed nearby. The dense cores of these clouds are predicted to undergo gravitational…