Empirical microlensing event rates predicted by a phenomenological model

Abstract

Estimating the number of microlensing events observed in different parts of the Galactic bulge is a crucial point in planning microlensing experiments. Reliable estimates are especially important if observing resources are scarce, as is the case for space missions: K2, WFIRST, and Euclid. Here we show that the number of detected events can be reliably estimated based on statistics of stars observed in targeted fields. The statistics can be estimated relatively easily, which makes presented method suitable for planning future microlensing experiments.