Schedule Jan 29, 2015
Microlensing takes off: Toward the galactic distribution of planets
Andy Gould, Ohio State University & KITP

After 50 years of dreaming about it, space-based microlensing observations are now underway. A 2014 100-hr Spitzer Pilot Program generated "microlens parallaxes" for dozens of lenses, opening the prospect of measuring the Galactic distribution of planets. This program will be expanded 8-fold in 2015. Analogous observations by Kepler will measure the mass function of free-floating planets. WFIRST microlensing observations will, as advertised, "complete the planetary census" but they will do an immense amount of astrophysics as well. I discuss how microlensing's take off builds on rapid, ongoing, ground-based developments.

Other video options

To begin viewing slides, click on the first slide below. (Or, view as pdf.)


[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93]

Author entry (protected)