Open AccessLarge Magellanic Cloud microlensing and very thick discs
Author(s) -
Gyuk Geza,
Gates Evalyn
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02277.x
Subject(s) - physics , gravitational microlensing , large magellanic cloud , astrophysics , astronomy , stars
We investigate the implications of a very thick (scaleheight 1.5‐‐3.0 kpc) disc population of MACHOs. Such a population represents a reasonable alternative to standard halo configurations of a lensing population. We find that very thick disc distributions can lower the lens mass estimate derived from the microlensing data towards the LMC, although an average lens mass substantially below 0.3 M ⊙ is unlikely. Constraints from direct searches for such lenses imply very low‐luminosity objects; thus thick discs do not solve the microlensing lens problem. We discuss further microlensing consequences of very thick disc populations, including an increased probability for parallax events.