We report the light-curve analysis for the event MOA-2020-BLG-135, which leads to the discovery of a new Neptune-class planet, MOA-2020-BLG-135Lb. With a derived mass ratio of and separation s ≈ 1, the planet lies exactly at the break and likely peak of the exoplanet mass-ratio function derived by the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) Collaboration. We estimate the properties of the lens system based on a Galactic model and considering two different Bayesian priors: one assuming that all stars have an equal planet-hosting probability and the other that planets are more likely to orbit more-massive stars. With a uniform host mass prior, we predict that the lens system is likely to be a planet of mass and a host star of mass , located at a distance . With a prior that holds that planet occurrence scales in proportion to the host-star mass, the estimated lens system properties are , , and . This planet qualifies for inclusion in the extended MOA-II exoplanet microlens sample.
Keywords
Keyword=Gravitational microlensing exoplanet detection
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MOA-2020-BLG-135Lb: A New Neptune-class Planet for the Extended MOA-II Exoplanet Microlens Statistical Analysis
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