We use archival data of NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope to compile an X-ray light curve of all four images of the quadruply lensed quasar Q2237+0305 (z=1.695) from January 2006 to January 2007. We fit simulated point spread functions to the four individual quasar images using Cash's C-statistic to account for the Poisson nature of the X-ray signal. The quasar images display strong flux variations up to a factor of ~4 within one month. We can disentangle the intrinsic quasar variability from flux variations due to gravitational microlensing by looking at the flux ratios of the individual quasar images. Doing this, we find evidence for microlensing in image A. In particular, the time-sequence of the flux ratio A/B in the X-ray regime correlates with the corresponding sequence in the optical monitoring by OGLE in the V-band. The amplitudes in the X-ray light curve are larger. For the most prominent peak, the increase of the X-ray ratio A/B is larger by a factor ~1.6 compared to the signal in the optical. In agreement with theory and other observations of multiply imaged quasars, this suggests that the X-ray emission region of this quasar is significantly smaller than the optical emission region.
We develop a robust method to model quadruply lensed quasars, relying heavily on the work of Witt (1996), who showed that for elliptical potentials, the four image positions, the source, and the lensing galaxy lie on a right hyperbola. For the singular isothermal elliptical potential, there exists a complementary ellipse centered on the source which also maps through the four images, with the same axis ratio as the potential but perpendicular to it. We first solve for Witt's hyperbola, reducing the allowable space of models to three dimensions. We then obtain the best fitting complementary ell…
The Southern Hemisphere has just recently begun to be charted by wide-field surveys, with a sufficient depth and image quality to enable the discovery of strongly lensed quasars. The quadruply imaged quasar WG0214-2105 (r.a.=02:14:16.37, dec.=-21:05:35.3) is a previously unknown lens, with `blue' mid-IR colors and high UV deficit, found in the intersection of three survey footprints: the Dark Energy Survey public DR1 (DES, Abbott et al. 2018), The VST-ATLAS (Shanks et al. 2015) and Pan-STARRS (Chambers et al. 2016). Its discovery relied on high spatial resolution from the Gaia mission (Lindegr…
We report the discovery of the quadruply lensed quasar J1433+6007, mined in the SDSS DR12 photometric catalogues using a novel outlier-selection technique, without prior spectroscopic or UV excess information. Discovery data obtained at the Nordic Optical telescope (NOT, La Palma) show nearly identical quasar spectra at $z_s=2.74$ and four quasar images in a fold configuration, one of which sits on a blue arc. The deflector redshift is $z_{l}=0.407,$ from Keck-ESI spectra. We describe the selection procedure, discovery and follow-up, image positions and $BVRi$ magnitudes, and first results and…
We investigate the flux ratio anomalies between macro-model predictions and the observed brightness of the supernova iPTF16geu, as published in a recent paper by More et al., 2017. This group suggested that these discrepancies are, qualitatively, likely due to microlensing. We analyze the plausibility of attributing this discrepancy to microlensing, and find that the discrepancy is too large to be due to microlensing alone. This is true whether one assumes knowledge of the luminosity of the supernova or allows the luminosity to be a free parameter. Varying the dark/stellar ratio likewise doesn…
We present new measurements of the time delays of WFI2033-4723. The data sets used in this work include 14 years of data taken at the 1.2m Leonhard Euler Swiss telescope, 13 years of data from the SMARTS 1.3m telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and a single year of high-cadence and high-precision monitoring at the MPIA 2.2m telescope. The time delays measured from these different data sets, all taken in the R-band, are in good agreement with each other and with previous measurements from the literature. Combining all the time-delay estimates from our data sets results in Dt_AB = 36.2-0.8+0.7…
We present predictions for time delays between multiple images of the gravitationally lensed supernova, iPTF16geu, which was recently discovered from the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF). As the supernova is of Type Ia where the intrinsic luminosity is usually well-known, accurately measured time delays of the multiple images could provide tight constraints on the Hubble constant. According to our lens mass models constrained by the {\it Hubble Space Telescope} F814W image, we expect the maximum relative time delay to be less than a day, which is consistent with the maximum of 100…
CLASH: Discovery of a Bright z~6.2 Dwarf Galaxy Quadruply Lensed by MACS J0329.6-0211
We report the discovery of a z_{phot} =6.18^{+0.05}_{-0.07} (95% confidence level) dwarf galaxy, lensed into four images by the galaxy cluster MACS J0329.6-0211 ( z_{l} =0.45). The galaxy is observed as a high-redshift dropout in HST/ACS/WFC3 CLASH and Spitzer/IRAC imaging. Its redshift is securely determined due to a clear detection of the Lyman-break in the 18-band photometry, making this galaxy one of the highest-redshift multiply-lensed objects known to date with an observed magnitude of F125W=24.00 \pm 0.04 AB mag for its highest-magnified image. We also present the first strong-lensing a…
It has been recently shown that quadruply lensed gravitational-wave (GW) events due to coalescing binaries can be localized to one or just a few galaxies, even in the absence of an electromagnetic counterpart. We discuss how this can be used to extract information on modified GW propagation, which is a crucial signature of modifications of gravity at cosmological scales. We show that, using quadruply lensed systems, it is possible to constrain the parameter $Ξ_0$ that characterizes modified GW propagation, without the need of imposing a prior on $H_0$. A LIGO/Virgo/Kagra network at target sens…
Time delays between the multiple images of strongly lensed Type Ia supernovae (gl\sneia) have the potential to deliver precise cosmological constraints, but the effects of microlensing on the measurement have not been studied in detail. Here we quantify the effect of microlensing on the gl\snia\ yield of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and the effect of microlensing on the precision and accuracy of time delays that can be extracted from LSST gl\sneia. Microlensing has a negligible effect on the LSST gl\snia\ yield, but it can be increased by a factor of $\sim$2 to 930 systems using …
Cosmological gravitational microlensing has been proven to be a powerful tool to constrain the structure of multiply imaged quasars, especially the accretion disc and central supermassive black-hole system. However, the derived constraints on models may be affected by large systematic errors introduced in the various stages of modelling, namely, the macromodels, the microlensing magnification maps, and the convolution with realistic disc profiles. In particular, it has been known that different macromodels of the galaxy lens that fit the observations equally well, can lead to different values …
We present time-delay estimates for the quadruply imaged quasar PG 1115+080. Our resuls are based on almost daily observations for seven months at the ESO MPIA 2.2m telescope at La Silla Observatory, reaching a signal-to-noise ratio of about 1000 per quasar image. In addition, we re-analyse existing light curves from the literature that we complete with an additional three seasons of monitoring with the Mercator telescope at La Palma Observatory. When exploring the possible source of bias we consider the so-called microlensing time delay, a potential source of systematic error so far never dir…
The Chandra observations of several gravitationally lensed quasars show evidence for flux and spectral variability of the X-ray emission that is uncorrelated between images and is thought to result from the microlensing by stars in the lensing galaxy. We report here on the most detailed modeling of such systems to date, including simulations of the emission of the Fe K-alpha fluorescent radiation from the accretion disk with a general relativistic ray tracing code, the use of realistic microlensing magnification maps derived from inverse ray shooting calculations, and the simulation of the lin…
HST imaging, pipeline modeling, and time-delay predictions of 2 triply-imaged and 15 quadruply-imaged lensed quasars
University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；STFC Hartree Centre（STFC哈特里中心）；Universidad Andres Bello（安德烈斯贝略大学）；Stony Brook University（石溪大学）；University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）；University of San Francisco（旧金山大学）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）；Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学卡弗里宇宙学研究所）；Staples High School（斯塔普尔斯高中）；Universidad de Valparaíso（瓦尔帕莱索大学）
We investigate the effect of microlensing on the standardisation of strongly lensed Type Ia supernovae (GLSNe Ia). We present predictions for the amount of scatter induced by microlensing across a range of plausible strong lens macromodels. We find that lensed images in regions of low convergence, shear and stellar density are standardisable, where the microlensing scatter is < 0.15 magnitudes, comparable to the intrinsic dispersion of for a typical SN Ia. These standardisable configurations correspond to asymmetric lenses with an image located far outside the Einstein radius of the lens. Symm…
We present the results of 15 years of monitoring lensed quasars, which was conducted by the COSMOGRAIL programme at the Leonhard Euler 1.2m Swiss Telescope. The decade-long light curves of 23 lensed systems are presented for the first time. We complement our data set with other monitoring data available in the literature to measure the time delays in 18 systems, among which nine reach a relative precision better than 15% for at least one time delay. To achieve this, we developed an automated version of the curve-shifting toolbox PyCS to ensure robust estimation of the time delay in the presenc…
The first resolved, multiply imaged supernova Type Ia, iPTF16geu, was observed 4 years ago, five decades after such systems were first envisioned. Because of the unique properties of the source, these systems hold a lot of promise for the study of galaxy structure and cosmological parameters. However, this very first example presented modelers with a few puzzles. It was expected that to explain image fluxes a contribution from microlensing by stars would be required, but to accommodate the magnitude of microlensing, the density slope of the elliptical power law lens model had to be quite shall…
We propose to use the flux variability of lensed quasar images induced by gravitational microlensing to measure the transverse peculiar velocity of lens galaxies over a wide range of redshift. Microlensing variability is caused by the motions of the observer, the lens galaxy (including the motion of the stars within the galaxy), and the source; hence, its frequency is directly related to the galaxy's transverse peculiar velocity. The idea is to count time-event rates (e.g., peak or caustic crossing rates) in the observed microlensing light curves of lensed quasars that can be compared with mod…
With the increase in the number of observed gravitational wave (GW) signals, detecting strongly lensed GWs by galaxies has become a real possibility. Lens galaxies also contain microlenses (e.g., stars and black holes), introducing further frequency-dependent modulations in the strongly lensed GW signal within the LIGO frequency range. The multiple lensed signals in a given lens system have different underlying macro-magnifications ($|μ|$) and are located in varied microlens densities ($Σ_\bullet$), leading to different levels of microlensing distortions. This work quantifies the fraction of s…
Recently, there have been two landmark discoveries of gravitationally lensed supernovae: the first multiply-imaged SN, "Refsdal", and the first Type Ia SN resolved into multiple images, SN iPTF16geu. Fitting the multiple light curves of such objects can deliver measurements of the lensing time delays, which are the difference in arrival times for the separate images. These measurements provide precise tests of lens models or constraints on the Hubble constant and other cosmological parameters that are independent of the local distance ladder. Over the next decade, accurate time delay measureme…
A Targeted Search for Variable Gravitationally Lensed Quasars
University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；University of San Francisco（旧金山大学）；Gemini Observatory / NSF’s NOIRLab（Gemini 天文台/美国国家科学基金会NOIRLab）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo（东京大学 Kavli宇宙物理与数学研究所）；Carnegie Mellon University（卡内基梅隆大学）；University of Hawaii（夏威夷大学）
We present estimates for the size and the logarithmic slope of the disk temperature profile of the lensed quasar Q2237+0305, independent of the component velocities. These estimates are based on six epochs of multi-wavelength narrowband images from the Nordic Optical Telescope. For each pair of lensed images and each photometric band, we determine the microlensing amplitude and chromaticity using pre-existing mid-IR photometry to define the baseline for no microlensing magnification. A statistical comparison of the combined microlensing data (6 epochs $\times$ 5 narrow bands $\times$ 6 image p…
JWST lensed quasar dark matter survey V: Hints of self-interacting dark matter from 29 quadruply imaged quasars
University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）；Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学卡弗里宇宙学物理研究所）；University of California, Merced（加州大学默塞德分校）；Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics（理论物理前沿研究所）；Carnegie Observatories（卡内基观测站）；University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；University of California, Irvine（加州大学尔湾分校）；Universidad Andres Bello（安德烈斯贝略大学）；Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, Chile（智利天体物理千年研究所）；California Polytechnic State University（加州州立理工大学）
The microlensing effect has developed into a powerful technique for a diverse range of applications including exoplanet discoveries, structure of the Milky Way, constraints on MAssive Compact Halo Objects, and measurements of the size and profile of quasar accretion discs. In this paper, we consider a special type of microlensing events where the sources are fast radio bursts with $\sim$milliseconds (ms) durations for which the relative motion between the lens and source is negligible. In this scenario, it is possible to temporally resolve the individual microimages. As a result, a method beyo…
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram（印度科学教育研究所特里凡得琅分校）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside（加州大学河滨分校物理与天文系）；Department of Astronomy, University of California Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校天文系）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；Physik-Institut, University of Zurich（苏黎世大学物理学院）
We show that observation of the time-dependent effect of microlensing of relativistically broadened emission lines (such as e.g. the Fe Kalpha line in X-rays) in strongly lensed quasars could provide data on celestial mechanics of circular orbits in the direct vicinity of the horizon of supermassive black holes. This information can be extracted from the observation of evolution of red / blue edge of the magnified line just before and just after the period of crossing of the innermost stable circular orbit by the microlensing caustic. The functional form of this evolution is insensitive to num…
TDCOSMO XXVIII. The Hubble constant from the quadruply lensed quasar J1537$-$3010 with precise time delays
University of Geneva（日内瓦大学）；Technical University of Munich（慕尼黑工业大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik（马克斯·普朗克天体物理学研究所）；Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier (LUPM), CNRS & Université Montpellier（蒙彼利埃宇宙与粒子实验室（LUPM），法国国家科学研究中心与蒙彼利埃大学）；STAR Institute, University of Liège（列日大学STAR研究所）；Armagh Observatory and Planetarium（阿马天文台和天文馆）；Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory（费米国家加速器实验室）
We present the HOLISMOKES programme on strong gravitational lensing of supernovae as a probe of supernova (SN) physics and cosmology. We investigate the effects of microlensing on early-phase SN Ia spectra using four different SN explosion models, and find that within 10 rest-frame days after SN explosion, distortions of SN Ia spectra due to microlensing are typically negligible ($<$1% distortion within the 1$σ$ spread, and $\lesssim$10% distortion within the 2$σ$ spread). This shows great prospects of using lensed SNe Ia to obtain intrinsic early-phase SN spectra for deciphering SN Ia progeni…
Aims: In this work, we aim to provide a reliable list of gravitational lens (GL) candidates based on a search performed over the entire Gaia Data Release 2 (Gaia DR2). We also show that the sole astrometric and photometric informations coming from the Gaia satellite yield sufficient insights for supervised learning methods to automatically identify GL candidates with an efficiency that is comparable to methods based on image processing. Methods: We simulated 106,623,188 lens systems composed of more than two images, based on a regular grid of parameters characterizing a non-singular isothermal…
