TY - JOUR
T1 - The POINT-AGAPE survey: 4 high signal-to-noise microlensing candidates detected towards M 31
AU - Paulin-Henriksson, S.
AU - Baillon, P.
AU - Bouquet, A.
AU - Carr, B.J.
AU - Creze, M.
AU - Evans, N.W.
AU - Giraud-Heraud, Y.
AU - Gould, A.
AU - Hewett, P.
AU - Kaplan, J.
AU - Kerins, E.
AU - Le Du, Y.
AU - Melchior, A.L.
AU - Smartt, Stephen
AU - Valls-Gabaud, D.
PY - 2003/7
Y1 - 2003/7
N2 - We have carried out a survey of the Andromeda galaxy for unresolved microlensing (pixel lensing). We present a subset of four short timescale, high signal-to-noise microlensing candidates found by imposing severe selection criteria: the source flux variation exceeds the flux of an R = 21 magnitude star and the full width at half maximum timescale is less than 25 days. Remarkably, in three out of four cases, we have been able to measure or strongly constrain the Einstein crossing time of the event. One event, which lies projected on the M 31 bulge, is almost certainly due to a stellar lens in the bulge of M 31. The other three candidates can be explained either by stars in M 31 and M 32 or by MACHOs.
AB - We have carried out a survey of the Andromeda galaxy for unresolved microlensing (pixel lensing). We present a subset of four short timescale, high signal-to-noise microlensing candidates found by imposing severe selection criteria: the source flux variation exceeds the flux of an R = 21 magnitude star and the full width at half maximum timescale is less than 25 days. Remarkably, in three out of four cases, we have been able to measure or strongly constrain the Einstein crossing time of the event. One event, which lies projected on the M 31 bulge, is almost certainly due to a stellar lens in the bulge of M 31. The other three candidates can be explained either by stars in M 31 and M 32 or by MACHOs.
U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361:20030519
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361:20030519
M3 - Article
SN - 0004-6361
VL - 405
SP - 15
EP - 21
JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics
JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics
IS - 1
ER -