Microlensing by Stars

Abstract

If stars at the lower end of the main sequence are responsible for the microlensing events observed in the Galactic bulge, then light from the lensing star contributes to the observed brightness. The background and lensing stars generally have different colors, and the relative brightness changes during the microlensing event. Therefore, microlensing light curves are not perfectly achromatic if hydrogen-burning stars are the lenses. In most cases, the color shift will be too small to be observable, but we argue that given the current microlensing rates, it is plausible that a few color-shifted microlensing events could be observed in the near future, especially if strategies are optimized to search for them. Although rare, such an event could potentially provide a wealth of information: Light curves in two bands can be used to determine the masses and distances of the two stars as well as the transverse speed of the lensing star. Light curves in additional wavebands could make the determination more precise.