Mass Production of 2023 KMTNet Microlensing Planets. I. Low Mass Ratio
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We initiate the systematic search for planets in the 2023 data of the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), focusing on those planets found by the KMTNet AnomalyFinder with low preliminary estimates of the mass ratio, q < 2 × 10 −4 . The 2023 season is the first for which the photometry of all events was re-reduced prior to the AnomalyFinder search, potentially increasing its sensitivity to planets. We find three strong low- q planet candidates, KMT-2023-BLG-0164 ( q ∼ 1.3 × 10 −4 ), KMT-2023-BLG-1286 ( q ∼ 1.9 × 10 −4 ), and KMT-2023-BLG-1746 ( q ∼ 8 × 10 −5 ). KMT-2023-BLG-0164 is notable in that the source is projected on a very bright ( I = 16.0) foreground star, which is either the planet’s host or (more likely) a companion to the host. We obtain a spectrum, finding that its mass and distance are M ∼ 1.0 M ⊙ and D ∼ 1.5 kpc, respectively, the latter being the distance of the lens ( D L ) regardless of whether the spectroscopic target is the host or its companion. We also analyze two other candidates, KMT-2023-BLG-0614 and KMT-2023-BLG-1593, which are unlikely to enter the statistical sample owing to their ambiguous interpretations as possible nonplanetary events.
Source: The Astronomical Journal
Authors: Yoon-Hyun Ryu, Andrzej Udalski, Hongjing Yang, Kyu-Ha Hwang, Weicheng Zang, Yang Huang, Andrew Gould, Michael D. Albrow, Ping Chen, Sun-Ju Chung, Subo Dong, Cheongho Han, Youn Kil Jung, In-Gu Shin, Yossi Shvartzvald, Jennifer C. Yee, Sang-Mok Cha, Dong-Jin Kim, Seung-Lee Kim, Chung-Uk Lee, Dong-Joo Lee, Yongseok Lee, Byeong-Gon Park, Richard W. Pogge, Przemek Mróz, Radosław Poleski, Jan Skowron, Michał K. Szymański, Igor Soszyński, Paweł Pietrukowicz, Szymon Kozłowski, Krzysztof Ulaczyk, Krzysztof A. Rybicki, Patryk Iwanek, Marcin Wrona, Mariusz Gromadzki, Mateusz J. Mróz
Institutions: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, University of Warsaw, Westlake University, Tsinghua University, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, The Ohio State University, University of Canterbury, Zhejiang University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, National Astronomical Observatories, Chungbuk National University, Korea University of Science and Technology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Kyung Hee University, University of Warwick, Villanova University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
OpenAlex ID: W7147615445