Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T05:29:59.582Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The SuperMACHO Microlensing Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2005

Andrew C. Becker
Affiliation:
U. Washington
A. Rest
Affiliation:
CTIO
C. Stubbs
Affiliation:
Harvard
G. A. Miknaitis
Affiliation:
U. Washington
A. Miceli
Affiliation:
U. Washington
R. Covarrubias
Affiliation:
U. Washington
S. L. Hawley
Affiliation:
U. Washington
C. Aguilera
Affiliation:
CTIO
R. C. Smith
Affiliation:
CTIO
N. B. Suntzeff
Affiliation:
CTIO
K. Olsen
Affiliation:
CTIO
J. L. Prieto
Affiliation:
CTIO
R. Hiriart
Affiliation:
CTIO
A. Garg
Affiliation:
Harvard
D. L. Welch
Affiliation:
McMaster U.
K. H. Cook
Affiliation:
LLNL
S. Nikolaev
Affiliation:
LLNL
A. Clocchiatti
Affiliation:
P. Universidad Católica
D. Minniti
Affiliation:
P. Universidad Católica
S. C. Keller
Affiliation:
ANU
B. P. Schmidt
Affiliation:
ANU
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We present the first results from our next-generation microlensing survey, the SuperMACHO project. We are using the CTIO 4m Blanco telescope and the MOSAIC imager to carry out a search for microlensing toward the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We plan to ascertain the nature of the population responsible for the excess microlensing rate seen by the MACHO project. Our observing strategy is optimized to measure the differential microlensing rate across the face of the LMC. We find this derivative to be relatively insensitive to the details of the LMC's internal structure but a strong discriminant between Galactic halo and LMC self lensing. In December 2003 we completed our third year of survey operations. 2003 also marked the first year of real-time microlensing alerts and photometric and spectroscopic followup. We have extracted several dozen microlensing candidates, and we present some preliminary light curves and related information. Similar to the MACHO project, we find SNe behind the LMC to be a significant contaminant - this background has not been completely removed from our current single-color candidate sample. Our follow-up strategy is optimized to discriminate between SNe and true microlensing.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
© 2004 International Astronomical Union