RoboNet

A Metric and Optimisation Scheme for Microlens Planet Searches

OGLE III and MOA II are discovering 600-1000 Galactic Bulge microlens events each year. This stretches the resources available for intensive follow-up monitoring of the lightcurves in search of anomalies caused by planets near the lens stars. We advocate optimizing microlens planet searches by using an automatic prioritization algorithm based on the planet detection zone area probed by each new data point. This optimization scheme takes account of the telescope and detector characteristics, observing overheads, sky conditions,
[Horne, K. Snodgrass, C. Tsapras, Y.]  17 pages, 15 figures, MNRAS in press (6 Jan 2009)

RoboNet-II: Follow-up observations of microlensing events with a robotic network of telescopes

RoboNet-II uses a global network of robotic telescopes to perform follow-up observations of microlensing events in the Galactic Bulge. The current network consists of three 2m telescopes located in Hawaii and Australia (owned by Las Cumbres Observatory) and the Canary Islands (owned by Liverpool John Moores University). In future years the network will be expanded by deploying clusters of 1m telescopes in other suitable locations. A principal scientific aim of the RoboNet-II project is the detection of cool extra-solar planets by the method
[Tsapras, Y. Street, R. Horne, K. Snodgrass, C. Dominik, M. Allan, A. +] Astron. Nachr. / AN 330, No. 1, 4 – 11 (2009)

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