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Title:
Nomads of the Galaxy
Authors:
Strigari, Louis E.; Barnabè, Matteo; Marshall, Philip J.; Blandford, Roger D.
Affiliation:
AA(Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA), AB(Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA), AC(Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH), AD(Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)
Publication:
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 423, Issue 2, pp. 1856-1865. (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date:
06/2012
Origin:
WILEY
Astronomy Keywords:
gravitational lensing: micro, planets and satellites: detection, planets and satellites: general
Abstract Copyright:
© 2012 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2012 RAS
DOI:
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21009.x
Bibliographic Code:
2012MNRAS.423.1856S

Abstract

We estimate that there may be up to ˜105 compact objects in the mass range 10-8-10-2 M per-main-sequence star that are unbound to a host star in the Galaxy. We refer to these objects as nomads; in the literature a subset of these are sometimes called free-floating or rogue planets. Our estimate for the number of Galactic nomads is consistent with a smooth extrapolation of the mass function of unbound objects above the Jupiter-mass scale, the stellar mass density limit and the metallicity of the interstellar medium. We analyse the prospects for detecting nomads via Galactic microlensing. The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope will measure the number of nomads per-main-sequence star greater than the mass of Jupiter to ˜13 per cent, and the corresponding number greater than the mass of Mars to ˜25 per cent. All-sky surveys such as Gaia and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope can identify nomads greater than about the mass of Jupiter. We suggest a dedicated drift scanning telescope that covers approximately 100 deg2 in the Southern hemisphere could identify nomads via microlensing of bright stars with characteristic time-scales of tens to hundreds of seconds.
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