KMT-2016-BLG-1337L: A Saturn-mass planet orbiting within a binary system of low-mass stars

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Authors: Cheongho Han, Chung‐Uk Lee, I. A. Bond, Andrzej Udalski, Michael D. Albrow, Sun‐Ju Chung, Andrew P. Gould, Youn Kil Jung, Kyu‐Ha Hwang, Yoon-Hyun Ryu, Yossi Shvartzvald, In-Gu Shin
+46 more Jennifer C. Yee, Weicheng Zang, Hongjing Yang, Doeon Kim, Dong-Jin Kim, Sang-Mok Cha, Seung‐Lee Kim, Dong-Joo Lee, Yongseok Lee, Byeong-Gon Park, Richard W. Pogge, Fumio Abe, D. P. Bennett, Aparna Bhattacharya, Ryusei Hamada, Yuki Hirao, Asahi Idei, Stela Ishitani Silva, Shota Miyazaki, Y. Muraki, Tutumi Nagai, Kansuke Nunota, Greg Olmschenk, ‪Clément Ranc, Nicholas James Rattenbury, Yuki Satoh, T. Sumi, Daisuke Suzuki, Takuto Tamaoki, Sean K. Terry, Paul . J. Tristram, Aikaterini Vandorou, Hibiki Yama, Przemek Mróz, Michał K. Szymański, J. Skowron, Radosław Poleski, I. Soszyński, Paweł Pietrukowicz, Szymon Kozłowski, Krzysztof A. Rybicki, Patryk Iwanek, Krzysztof Ulaczyk, Marcin Wrona, Mariusz Gromadzki, Mateusz J. Mróz
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Abstract

We report the discovery and characterization of a planetary companion in the microlensing event KMT-2016-BLG-1337, which was produced by a binary system of low-mass stars. The light curve of the event exhibits a short-term anomaly superposed on the profile of a binary-lens single-source (2L1S) model. To investigate the nature of this anomaly, we performed detailed modeling under both the binary-lens binary-source (2L2S) and triple-lens single-source (3L1S) interpretations. The 3L1S model provides a substantially better fit to the data, strongly favoring the presence of a planetary companion in the lens system. Two viable $3L1S$ solutions describe the event nearly equally well. In one solution, the planet has a mass of $M_3 \sim 0.3~M_{\mathrm{J}}$ and lies at a projected separation of $a_{\perp,3} \sim 4~{\rm au}$ from the heavier member of the host binary. In the alternative solution, the planet has a mass of $M_3 \sim 7~M_{\mathrm{J}}$ and a projected separation of $a_{\perp,3} \sim 1.5~{\rm au}$. The host binary consists of early M-type dwarfs with masses of $M_1 \sim 0.54~M_\odot$ and $M_2 \sim 0.40~M_\odot$, separated in projection by $a_{\perp,2} \sim 3.5~{\rm au}$. The system is located at a distance of $D_{\rm L} \sim 7~{\rm kpc}$ toward the Galactic bulge. This event demonstrates the sensitivity of microlensing to planets in dynamically complex stellar environments, including systems beyond the reach of other detection techniques. It thereby contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of planet formation in multiple-star systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Stellar planetary and galactic studies Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations Astro and Planetary Science

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
13 February 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint