Planetary Microlensing: From Prediction to Discovery

Abstract

Four planets have recently been discovered by gravitational microlensing. The most recent of these discoveries is the lowest-mass planet known to exist around a normal star. The detection of planets in gravitational microlensing events was predicted over a decade ago. Microlensing is now a mature field of astrophysical research and the recent planet detections herald a new chapter in the hunt for low mass extra-solar planets. This paper reviews the basic theory of planetary microlensing, describes the experiments currently in operation for the detection and observation of microlensing events and compares the characteristics of the planetary systems found to date by microlensing. Some proposed schemes for improving the detection rate of planets via microlensing are also discussed.