Aplicação da técnica de microlentes gravitacionais na busca de exoplanetas de baixa massa

Abstract

Gravitational lenses were proposed by Albert Einstein in the course of developing the theory of general relativity. Einstein observed that massive objects curve space-time and thus the path of light that passes close to these objects undergo deflection effects and the light is then deflected in these vicinities. The gravitational lens regime can be divided into three categories: strong lenses, weak lenses, and microlensing. This thesis is focused on the latter, the gravitational microlensing. Gravitational Microlensing (GM) events happen when, from the observer’s perspective, there is an almost alignment between two stars, one in the background (source) and another in the foreground (lens). This alignment causes the light from the source to deviate from its original path. This deviation of light generates a magnification of the brightness of the background star and if the two stars have relative movements, a characteristic light curve is then produced. If the lens star has a planet, we can infer its presence by carefully analyzing this light curve and determining the mass fractions of the system and also the apparent major semi-axis. This technique differs from the others because it is the only one that can detect small planets beyond the snow line of its stars. These planets are essential for filling the census of exoplanets that we have in our galaxy. In this work, we focus on finding low-mass planets in solar-type stars. For this, we use the semi-analytical method of solving the lens equation and we propose the parameterization of the shortest distance between the path of the source star and the main lens (impact parameter µ0) and the angle that the source path makes with the relative axis of the system (angle of impact α). This parameterization forces the source path to pass through the region of interest of the event in which it would be possible to detect low mass planets, increasing the probability of detecting planets with the mass of the Earth. We applied our parameterization in GM events available in the literature and also in light curves of events observed at the Pico dos Dias Observatory (OPD) in the observational campaigns of 2018, 2019, and 2020, which were part of this doctorate together with the MicroFun collaboration from "Ohio State University ". In this thesis, we present a detailed discussion of planetary caustic in GM events and the effects on the formation of light curves in an event involving a planet with a mass similar to that of Earth. We present in detail the methodology for photometric observation of GM events monitored at the OPD. We also present a possible detection of 3 candidates for exoplanets, one of them using data observed in the OPD during this doctorate. In this work, we analyze the topology of GM events that produce light curves in which the detection of planets with a mass similar to that of Earth is possible.