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Subaru-HSC through a different lens: Microlensing by extended dark matter structures

Djuna Croon, David McKeen, Nirmal Raj, Zihui Wang

2020Physical review. D/Physical review. D.112 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

We investigate gravitational microlensing signals produced by a spatially extended object transiting in front of a finite-sized source star. The most interesting features arise for lens and source sizes comparable to the Einstein radius of the setup. Using this information, we obtain constraints from the Subaru-HSC survey of M31 on the dark matter populations of nfw subhalos and boson stars of asteroid to Earth masses. These lens profiles capture the qualitative behavior of a wide range of dark matter substructures. We find that dark matter fractions down to $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ may be probed, and that deviations from constraints on pointlike lenses (e.g., primordial black holes and machos) become visible for lenses of radius $0.1\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{R}}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ and larger, with the upper bound on lens masses weakening with increasing lens size.

Topics & Concepts

Gravitational microlensingPhysicsDark matterAstrophysicsLens (geology)Einstein radiusRADIUSMassive compact halo objectGravitational lensStarsAstronomyWhite dwarfGalaxyOpticsRedshiftComputer scienceComputer securityGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesDark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena
Subaru-HSC through a different lens: Microlensing by extended dark matter structures | Litcius