Ground-based Microlensing Surveys

Understand

Microlensing is a proven extrasolar planet search method that has already yielded the detection of four exoplanets.

• These detections have changed our understanding of planet formation ``beyond the snowline'' by demonstrating that Neptune-mass planets with separations of several AU are common.
• Microlensing is sensitive to planets that are generally inaccessible to other methods, in particular cool planets at or beyond the snowline, very low-mass (i.e.
• terrestrial) planets, planets orbiting low-mass stars, free-floating planets, and even planets in external galaxies.