Microlensing by free-floating brown dwarfs

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0301074

From: Hans Zinnecker  <hzinnecker@aip.de>

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 13:03:45 GMT   (20kb)

Authors:
Hans Zinnecker

Comments: 6 pages, 1 figure, IAU-Symp. 211, ed. E. Martin, in press

We propose a near-infrared microlensing survey of the central 2 degree field
of the Galactic Center, in an attempt to estimate the surface density and mass
distribution of distant free-floating brown dwarfs in the bulge and in the
disk, acting as lenses of bright stars towards the Galactic Center. We estimate
the probability (optical depth) of microlensing events to be 10^{-7} and the
typical timescale (full-width) of the amplification lightcurve to be about 1
week. The necessary wide-field NIR survey technology should soon be available
on UKIRT, CFHT, and with VISTA at ESO/Paranal.

References and citations for this submission:

SLAC-SPIRES HEP (refers to ,
cited by, arXiv reformatted)