Three-dimensional Microlensing

Abstract

We study three-dimensional microlensing where two lenses are located at different distances along the line of sight. We formulate the lens equation in complex notations and recover several previous results. There are in total either 4 or 6 images, with an equal number of images with positive and negative parities. We find that the sum of signed magnifications for six image configurations is unity. Furthermore, we show that the light curves can be qualitatively different from those for binary lensing in a single plane. In particular, the magnifications between a `U'-shaped caustic crossing can be close to unity, rather than having a minimum magnification of 3 as in the single plane binary lensing. There is only a small probability three-dimensional microlensing events will be seen in microlensing toward the Galactic centre. It is more likely they will be first seen in cosmological microlensing.

9 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS, comments welcome!

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