Degeneracies and modelling choices in double-plane time-delay cosmography
Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier (LUPM), CNRS & Université de 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）；Université de Genève（日内瓦大学）；Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, ETH Zurich（苏黎世联邦理工学院粒子物理与天体物理研究所）
Double-plane gravitational lensing is a rare but increasingly observed phenomenon in which the light from a distant source is lensed by two foreground objects at different redshifts. Such systems can be used to provide simultaneous constraints on the Hubble constant $H_0$ and the dark-energy equation of state, independent of and complementary to other probes. However, just as for single-plane gravitational lenses, the precision of these constraints is limited by the so-called mass-sheet degeneracy (MSD) -- a fundamental limit to the knowledge of the mass profiles of lens galaxies and the line of sight that can be obtained from imaging constraints alone. In this work, we show explicitly how contributions from the line of sight appear in double-plane systems. Because these contributions modify angular diameter distances, we argue that cosmological priors should not be used to simply fix the ``cosmological scaling factor'', a ratio of angular diameter distances which is key to the modelling of double-plane lenses. Motivated by this fact, we generalise the double-plane MSD to account for this uncertainty in the scaling factor. While this complicates the time-delay function, we show that, using the ``unfolding relation'', a geometric relation between distances which holds even in the presence of line-of-sight corrections, the uncertainty in the Hubble constant reduces to the familiar mass-sheet transformation of the first lens plane, and a line-of-sight contribution between the observer and the second lens plane. Our main message is therefore a prescription for reducing the degrees of freedom within double-plane models, while still safely accounting for the MSD in measurements of $H_0$.
Impact of Large-Scale Structure along Line-of-Sight on Time-Delay Cosmography
Institute for Frontier in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学前沿天文与天体物理研究所）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学物理与天文学院）；Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院紫金山天文台）；Tianjin Astrophysics Center, Tianjin Normal University（天津师范大学天津天体物理中心）；South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University（云南大学西南天文研究所）
Cluster strong lensing cosmography is a promising probe of the background geometry of the Universe and several studies have emerged, thanks to the increased quality of observations using space and ground-based telescopes. For the first time, we use a sample of five cluster strong lenses to measure the values of cosmological parameters and combine them with those from classical probes. In order to assess the degeneracies and the effectiveness of strong-lensing cosmography in constraining the background geometry of the Universe, we adopt four cosmological scenarios. We find good constraining pow…
Follow-up of SN 2025wny V: Lens Modelling and Cosmography of a Strongly Lensed Superluminous Supernova at $z = 2.015$ using Space Data
Stockholm University（斯德哥尔摩大学）；University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学）；University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；University of Portsmouth（朴茨茅斯大学）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）
Redshift-binned constraints on the Hubble constant under $Λ$CDM, CPL, and Padé cosmography
Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学前沿天文与天体物理研究所）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学物理与天文学院）；Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics, Zhengzhou University（郑州大学物理学院天体物理研究所）
The time delays between the multiple images of a strong lens system, together with a model of the lens mass distribution, allow a one-step measurement of a cosmological distance, namely, the "time-delay distance" of the lens (D_dt) that encodes cosmological information. The time-delay distance depends sensitively on the radial profile slope of the lens mass distribution; consequently, the lens slope must be accurately constrained for cosmological studies. We show that the slope cannot be constrained in two-image systems with single-component compact sources, whereas it can be constrained in sy…
The time delay between the arrival of photons of multiple images of time variable sources can be used to constrain absolute distances in the Universe (Refsdal 1964), and in turn obtain a direct estimate of the Hubble constant and other cosmological parameters. To convert the time delay into distances, it is well known that the gravitational potential of the main deflector and the contribution of the matter along the line-of-sight need to be known to a sufficient level of precision. In this paper, we discuss a new astrometric requirement that is becoming important as time-delay cosmography impr…
We make a number of comments regarding modeling degeneracies in strong lensing measurements of the Hubble parameter $H_0$. The first point concerns the impact of weak lensing associated with different segments of the line of sight. We show that external convergence terms associated with the lens-source and observer-lens segments need to be included in cosmographic modeling, in addition to the usual observer-source term, to avoid systematic bias in the inferred value of $H_0$. Specifically, we show how an incomplete account of some line of sight terms biases stellar kinematics as well as ray tr…
The importance of alternative methods for measuring the Hubble constant, such as time-delay cosmography, is highlighted by the recent Hubble tension. It is paramount to thoroughly investigate and rule out systematic biases in all measurement methods before we can accept new physics as the source of this tension. In this study, we perform a check for systematic biases in the lens modelling procedure of time-delay cosmography by comparing independent and blind time-delay predictions of the system WGD 2038-4008 from two teams using two different software programs: GLEE and LENSTRONOMY. The predic…
We present a determination of the Hubble constant from the joint, free-form analysis of 8 strongly, quadruply lensing systems. In the concordance cosmology, we find $H_0 = 71.8^{+3.9}_{-3.3}\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ with a precision of $4.97\%$. This is in agreement with the latest measurements from Supernovae Type Ia and Planck observations of the cosmic microwave background. Our precision is lower compared to these and other recent time-delay cosmography determinations, because our modelling strategies reflect the systematic uncertainties of lensing degeneracies. We …
The modern time-delay cosmography aims to infer the cosmological parameters with a competitive precision from observing a multiply imaged quasar. The success of this technique relies upon a robust modeling of the lens mass distribution. Unfortunately strong degeneracies between density profiles that lead to almost the same lensing observables may bias precise estimate for the Hubble constant. The source position transformation (SPT), which covers the well-known mass sheet transformation (MST) as a special case, defines a new framework to investigate these degeneracies. In this paper, we presen…
To understand and interpret the observed Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of starbursts, theoretical or semi-empirical SED models are necessary. Yet, while they are well-founded in theory, independent verification and calibration of these models, including the exploration of possible degeneracies between their parameters, are rarely made. As a consequence, a robust fitting method that leads to unique and reproducible results has been lacking. Here we introduce a novel approach based on Bayesian analysis to fit the Spitzer-IRS spectra of starbursts using the SED models proposed by Groves et…
We perform a comprehensive study of the total mass distribution of the galaxy cluster RXCJ2248 ($z=0.348$) with a set of high-precision strong lensing models, which take advantage of extensive spectroscopic information on many multiply lensed systems. In the effort to understand and quantify inherent systematics in parametric strong lensing modelling, we explore a collection of 22 models where we use different samples of multiple image families, parametrizations of the mass distribution and cosmological parameters. As input information for the strong lensing models, we use the CLASH HST imagin…
We present a novel, purely geometric probe of cosmology based on measurements of differential time delays between images of strongly lensed quasars due to finite source effects. Our approach is solely dependent on cosmology via a ratio of angular diameter distances, the image separation, and the source size. It thereby entirely avoids the challenges of lens modelling that conventionally limit time delay cosmography, and instead entails the lensed reverberation mapping of the quasar Broad Line Region. We demonstrate that differential time delays are measurable with short cadence spectroscopic m…
We study the mass and anisotropy distribution of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5846 using stars, as well as the red and blue globular cluster (GC) subpopulations. We break degeneracies in the dynamical models by taking advantage of the different phase space distributions of the two GC subpopulations to unambiguously constrain the mass of the galaxy and the anisotropy of the GC system. Red GCs show the same spatial distribution and behaviour as the starlight, whereas blue GCs have a shallower density profile, a larger velocity dispersion and a lower kurtosis, all of which suggest a different …
Strongly lensed explosive transients such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, fast radio bursts, and gravitational waves are very promising tools to determine the Hubble constant ($H_0$) in the near future in addition to strongly lensed quasars. In this work, we show that the transient nature of the point source provides an advantage over quasars: the lensed host galaxy can be observed before or after the transient's appearance. Therefore, the lens model can be derived from images free of contamination from bright point sources. We quantify this advantage by comparing the precision of a lens mode…
We report the spectroscopic confirmation and modeling of the quadruply imaged quasar GRAL113100-441959, the first gravitational lens (GL) to be discovered mainly from astrometric considerations. Follow-up spectra obtained with Keck/LRIS reveal the lensing nature of this quadruply-imaged quasar with redshift $z_s = 1.090 \pm 0.002$, but show no evidence of the central lens galaxy. Using the image positions and $G$-band flux ratios provided by Gaia Data Release 2 as constraints, we model the system with a singular power-law elliptical mass distribution (SPEMD) plus external shear, to different l…
We present and test a framework that models the three-dimensional distribution of mass in the Universe as a function of cosmological and astrophysical parameters. Our approach combines two different techniques: a rescaling algorithm that modifies the cosmology of gravity-only N-body simulations, and a baryonification algorithm which mimics the effects of astrophysical processes induced by baryons, such as star formation and AGN feedback. We show how this approach can accurately reproduce the effects of baryons on the matter power spectrum of various state-of-the-art hydro-dynamical simulations…
Line-of-sight shear in SLACS strong lenses I: shear and mass model parametrisations
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学天文学研究所）；Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学卡弗里宇宙学研究所）；Clare Hall（克莱尔学院）；Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, CNRS & Université de Montpellier（蒙彼利埃大学与法国国家科学研究中心宇宙与粒子物理实验室）；Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学天文与天体物理系）；Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学卡弗里宇宙物理学研究所）；Center for Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics, Independent University, Bangladesh（孟加拉独立大学天文、空间科学与天体物理中心）
SDSS J2222+2745, at z = 0.489, is one of the few currently known lens clusters with multiple images of a background (z = 2.801) quasar with measured time delays. We combine imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with recent Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) spectroscopic data to securely identify 34 cluster members and 12 multiple images from 3 background sources. We measure the stellar velocity dispersions of 13 cluster galaxies, enabling an independent estimate of the contribution of the sub-halo mass component to the lens total mass. The projected total mass distribution of th…
Probing Dark Matter Substructures with Free-Form Modelling: A Case Study of the `Jackpot' Strong Lens
Zhengzhou University（郑州大学）；School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学天文与空间科学学院）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学）；Newcastle University（纽卡斯尔大学）；Durham University（杜伦大学）
We present a Markov chain Monte Carlo pipeline that can be used for robust and unbiased constraints of $f(R)$ gravity using galaxy cluster number counts. This pipeline makes use of a detailed modelling of the halo mass function in $f(R)$ gravity, which is based on the spherical collapse model and calibrated by simulations, and fully accounts for the effects of the fifth force on the dynamical mass, the halo concentration and the observable-mass scaling relations. Using a set of mock cluster catalogues observed through the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, we demonstrate that this pipeline, wh…
Investigating the Dark Energy Constraint from Strongly Lensed AGN at LSST-Scale
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics, Stanford University（斯坦福大学卡弗里粒子天体物理与宇宙学研究所）；SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory（SLAC国家加速器实验室）；Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, ETH Zurich（苏黎世联邦理工学院粒子物理与天体物理研究所）；Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign（伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校天文学系）；Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth（朴茨茅斯大学宇宙学与引力研究所）；Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学卡弗里宇宙物理学研究所）；Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学天文学与天体物理学系）；Center for Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics, Independent University, Bangladesh（孟加拉国独立大学天文学、空间科学与天体物理中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University（纽约州立大学石溪分校物理与天文学系）
TDCOSMO. XXIII. Measurement of the Hubble constant from the doubly lensed quasar HE1104-1805
The University of Tokyo（东京大学）；Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)（洛桑联邦理工学院）；Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB)（巴塞罗那大学）；Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)（加泰罗尼亚高级研究学院）；UC Davis（加州大学戴维斯分校）；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）；ETH Zurich（苏黎世联邦理工学院）；Liège Université（列日大学）；University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；Stony Brook University（石溪大学）；Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory（费米国家加速器实验室）
本文利用双镜像类星体HE1104-1805测量哈勃常数，通过结合多 telescope 数据测量时间延迟、恒星速度弥散、费马势差和收敛，采用幂律质量模型得出H_0=64.2±5.8xλ_int km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹。
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）
This work considers which higher-order effects in modelling the cosmic shear angular power spectra must be taken into account for Euclid. We identify which terms are of concern, and quantify their individual and cumulative impact on cosmological parameter inference from Euclid. We compute the values of these higher-order effects using analytic expressions, and calculate the impact on cosmological parameter estimation using the Fisher matrix formalism. We review 24 effects and find the following potentially need to be accounted for: the reduced shear approximation, magnification bias, source-le…
Euclid preparation. CIV. Impact of galaxy intrinsic alignment modelling choices on Euclid 3x2pt cosmology
Leiden University（莱顿大学）；Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC)（空间科学研究所（ICE，CSIC））；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)（加泰罗尼亚太空研究学院（IEEC））；Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), Université de Toulouse（天体物理学与行星学研究所（IRAP），图卢兹大学）；Université Paris-Saclay（巴黎萨克雷大学）；University College London（伦敦大学学院）
评估星系内禀对准模型选择对 Euclid 3x2pt 分析的影响，发现红移依赖的 TATT 模型在灵活性和约束力上最优。
With upcoming (continuum) surveys of high-resolution radio telescopes, detection rates of fast radio bursts (FRBs) might approach $10^5$ per sky per day by future extremely large observatories, such as the possible extension of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) to a phase 2 array. Depending on the redshift distribution of FRBs and using the repeating FRB121102 as a model, we calculate a detection rate of multiply-imaged FRBs with their multiply-imaged hosts caused by the distribution of galaxy-cluster scale gravitational lenses of the order of $10^{-4}$ per square degree per year for a minimum …
We use velocity dispersion measurements of 21 individual cluster members in the core of Abell 383, obtained with MMT Hectospec, to separate the galaxy and the smooth dark halo (DH) lensing contributions. While lensing usually constrains the overall, projected mass density, the innovative use of velocity dispersion measurements as a proxy for masses of individual cluster members breaks inherent degeneracies and allows us to (a) refine the constraints on single galaxy masses and on the galaxy mass-to-light scaling relation and, as a result, (b) refine the constraints on the DM-only map, a high-e…
