False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise
We report observations of four asteroid-crossing events in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curves masquerading as self-lensing pulses from binary systems containing main-sequence stars and black hole or neutron-star companions. The observed changes in flux and the durations of the events...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace9df |
| _version_ | 1797696844729417728 |
|---|---|
| author | Nicholas M. Sorabella Silas G. T. Laycock Liam J. Neeley Dimitris M. Christodoulou Sayantan Bhattacharya |
| author_facet | Nicholas M. Sorabella Silas G. T. Laycock Liam J. Neeley Dimitris M. Christodoulou Sayantan Bhattacharya |
| author_sort | Nicholas M. Sorabella |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We report observations of four asteroid-crossing events in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curves masquerading as self-lensing pulses from binary systems containing main-sequence stars and black hole or neutron-star companions. The observed changes in flux and the durations of the events appear to be consistent with self-lensing pulses provided that (a) the compact-object mass is greater than 2 solar masses, and (b) the transit is not a perfect alignment, i.e., the center of the lens is not passing directly in front of the center of the source. We examine the relationship between the physical characteristics of these asteroid crossings and the derived parameters of our self-lensing model fits to the data sets. As the search for new self-lensing systems continues, we caution observers about such false-positive signals imitating real self-lensing pulses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:32:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a0701a0fd59f4d98a895191e4a12a886 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:32:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-a0701a0fd59f4d98a895191e4a12a8862023-09-03T13:24:42ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-0195415910.3847/1538-4357/ace9dfFalse-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in DisguiseNicholas M. Sorabella0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3562-9699Silas G. T. Laycock1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8427-0766Liam J. Neeley2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4993-992XDimitris M. Christodoulou3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7652-2206Sayantan Bhattacharya4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8572-8241Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology , Lowell, MA 01854, USA ; nicholas_sorabella@student.uml.edu; Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell , Lowell, MA 01854, USALowell Center for Space Science and Technology , Lowell, MA 01854, USA ; nicholas_sorabella@student.uml.edu; Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell , Lowell, MA 01854, USALowell Center for Space Science and Technology , Lowell, MA 01854, USA ; nicholas_sorabella@student.uml.edu; Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell , Lowell, MA 01854, USALowell Center for Space Science and Technology , Lowell, MA 01854, USA ; nicholas_sorabella@student.uml.eduLowell Center for Space Science and Technology , Lowell, MA 01854, USA ; nicholas_sorabella@student.uml.edu; Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell , Lowell, MA 01854, USAWe report observations of four asteroid-crossing events in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curves masquerading as self-lensing pulses from binary systems containing main-sequence stars and black hole or neutron-star companions. The observed changes in flux and the durations of the events appear to be consistent with self-lensing pulses provided that (a) the compact-object mass is greater than 2 solar masses, and (b) the transit is not a perfect alignment, i.e., the center of the lens is not passing directly in front of the center of the source. We examine the relationship between the physical characteristics of these asteroid crossings and the derived parameters of our self-lensing model fits to the data sets. As the search for new self-lensing systems continues, we caution observers about such false-positive signals imitating real self-lensing pulses.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace9dfAsteroidsCompact binary starsGravitational microlensing |
| spellingShingle | Nicholas M. Sorabella Silas G. T. Laycock Liam J. Neeley Dimitris M. Christodoulou Sayantan Bhattacharya False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise The Astrophysical Journal Asteroids Compact binary stars Gravitational microlensing |
| title | False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise |
| title_full | False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise |
| title_fullStr | False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise |
| title_full_unstemmed | False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise |
| title_short | False-positive Self-lensing Events: TESS Observing Asteroid-crossing Events in Disguise |
| title_sort | false positive self lensing events tess observing asteroid crossing events in disguise |
| topic | Asteroids Compact binary stars Gravitational microlensing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace9df |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicholasmsorabella falsepositiveselflensingeventstessobservingasteroidcrossingeventsindisguise AT silasgtlaycock falsepositiveselflensingeventstessobservingasteroidcrossingeventsindisguise AT liamjneeley falsepositiveselflensingeventstessobservingasteroidcrossingeventsindisguise AT dimitrismchristodoulou falsepositiveselflensingeventstessobservingasteroidcrossingeventsindisguise AT sayantanbhattacharya falsepositiveselflensingeventstessobservingasteroidcrossingeventsindisguise |