Search

Weak gravitational lensing simulations serve as indispensable tools for obtaining precise cosmological constraints. In particular, it is crucial to address the systematic uncertainties in theoretical predictions, given the rapid increase in galaxy numbers and the reduction in observational noise. Both on-the-fly and post-processing methods for constructing lensing light-cones encounter limitations due to the finite simulated volume, necessitating the replication of the simulation box to encompass the volume to high redshifts. To address this issue, our primary focus lies on investigating and quantifying the impact of box replication on the convergence power spectrum and higher order moments of lensing fields. Subsequently, a univariate model is utilized to estimate the amplitude parameter A by fitting four statistics measured from partial sky light-cones along specific angles, to the averaged result from random directions. The investigation demonstrates that the systematic bias stemming from the box replication phenomenon falls within the bounds of statistical errors for the majority of cases. However, caution should be exercised when considering high-order statistics on a small sky coverage (⁠|${\lesssim} 25~\mathrm{deg^2}$|⁠). For this case, we have developed a code that facilitates the identification of optimal viewing angles for the light-cone construction. This code has been made publicly accessible at https://github.com/czymh/losf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that convolution neural networks (CNNs) trained to find strong gravitational lens systems are biased towards systems with larger Einstein radii and large concentrated sources. This selection function is key to fully realizing the potential of the large samples of strong gravitational lens systems that will be found in upcoming wide-field surveys. In this paper, we use a CNN and three training data sets to quantify the network selection function and its implication for the many scientific applications of strong gravitational lensing. We use CNNs with similar architecture as is commonly found in the literature. The networks preferentially select systems with larger Einstein radii and larger sources with more concentrated source-light distributions. Increasing the detection significance threshold to 12 |$\sigma$| from 8 |$\sigma$| results in 50 per cent of the selected strong lens systems having Einstein radii |$\theta _\mathrm{E}$| |$\ge$| 1.04 arcsec from |$\theta _\mathrm{E}$| |$\ge$| 0.879 arcsec, source radii |$R_S$| |$\ge$| 0.194 arcsec from |$R_S$| |$\ge$| 0.178 arcsec, and source Sérsic indices |$n_{\mathrm{Sc}}^{\mathrm{S}}$| |$\ge$| 2.62 from |$n_{\mathrm{Sc}}^{\mathrm{S}}$| |$\ge$| 2.55. The model trained to find lensed quasars shows a stronger preference for higher lens ellipticities than those trained to find lensed galaxies. The selection function is independent of the slope of the power law of the mass profiles, hence measurements of this quantity will be unaffected. The lens finder selection function reinforces that of the lensing cross-section, and thus we expect our findings to be a general result for all galaxy–galaxy and galaxy–quasar lens finding neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitationally lensed supernovae (glSNe) are of interest for time delay cosmology and SN physics. However, glSNe detections are rare, owing to the intrinsic rarity of SN explosions, the necessity of alignment with a foreground lens, and the relatively short window of detectability. We present the Las Cumbres Observatory Lensed Supernova Search, LCOLSS, a targeted survey designed for detecting glSNe in known strong lensing systems. Using cadenced |$r^\prime$| -band imaging, LCOLSS targeted 114 galaxy–galaxy lensing systems with high expected SN rates, based on estimated star formation rates. No plausible glSN was detected by LCOLSS during our two year observing program. We carry out an analysis here to measure a detection efficiency for these observations. We then perform Monte Carlo simulations using the predicted supernova rates to determine the expected number of glSN detections. The results of the simulation suggest an expected number of detections and 68 per cent Poisson confidence intervals, |$N_{\mathrm{ SN}} = 0.20, [0,2.1]$|⁠ , |$N_{\mathrm{ Ia}} = 0.08, [0,2.0]$|⁠ , |$N_{\mathrm{ CC}} = 0.12, [0,2.0]$|⁠ , for all SNe, Type Ia SNe, and core-collapse (CC) SNe, respectively. These results are broadly consistent with the absence of a detection in our survey. Analysis of the survey strategy can provide insights for future efforts to develop targeted glSN discovery programs, especially considering the large anticipated yields of upcoming surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the absolute calibration of the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using small amplitude red giant stars (SARGs) classified by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). We show that all stars near the SMC's TRGB are SARGs. Distinguishing older and younger RGs near the tip according to two period–luminosity sequences labeled A and B, we show many similarities among SARG populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the SMC, along with notable differences. In particular, SMC SARGs have shorter periods due to lower metallicity and smaller amplitudes due to younger ages than LMC SARGs. We discover two period–color relations near the TRGB that span all A-sequence and B-sequence stars in the OGLE-III footprints of the SMC and LMC, and we investigate using periods instead of color for TRGB standardization. Using variability-derived information only, we trace the SMC's age and metallicity gradients and show the core to be populated by younger, more metal-rich RGs. The B-sequence yields the brightest and most accurate calibration (M F814W,syn = −4.057 ± 0.019(stat.) ± 0.029(syst.) mag), which we use to measure the distance modulus difference between the Clouds and investigate metallicity effects. Distance measurements not informed by variability should employ the SARG-based calibration based on all stars near the tip (M F814W,syn = −4.024 ± 0.041(stat.) ± 0.029(syst.) mag). Our work highlights the impact of RG population diversity on TRGB distance measurements. Further study is needed to unravel these effects and improve TRGB standardization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3C 220.3 system is a rare case of a foreground narrow-line radio galaxy ("galaxy A," z A = 0.6850) lensing a background submillimeter galaxy (z SMG = 2.221). New spectra from MMT/Binospec confirm that the companion galaxy ("galaxy B") is part of the lensing system with z B = 0.6835. New three-color Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data reveal a full Einstein ring and allow a more precise lens model. The new HST images also reveal extended emission around galaxy A, and the spectra show extended [O ii ] emission with irregular morphology and complex velocity structure. All indications are that the two lensing galaxies are a gravitationally interacting pair. Strong [O ii ] emission from both galaxies A and B suggests current star formation, which could be a consequence of the interaction. This would indicate a younger stellar population than previously assumed and imply smaller stellar masses for the same luminosity. The improved lens model and expanded spectral energy distributions have enabled better stellar mass estimates for the foreground galaxies. The resulting dark matter fractions are ∼0.8, which are higher than previously calculated. Deeper Chandra imaging shows extended X-ray emission but no evidence for an X-ray point source associated with either galaxy. The detection of X-rays from the radio lobes of 3C 220.3 allows an estimate of ∼3 nT for the magnetic fields in the lobes, a factor of ∼3 below the equipartition fields, as is typical for radio galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracting precise cosmology from weak lensing surveys requires modelling the non-linear matter power spectrum, which is suppressed at small scales due to baryonic feedback processes. However, hydrodynamical galaxy formation simulations make widely varying predictions for the amplitude and extent of this effect. We use measurements of Dark Energy Survey Year 3 weak lensing (WL) and Atacama Cosmology Telescope DR5 kinematic Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (kSZ) to jointly constrain cosmological and astrophysical baryonic feedback parameters using a flexible analytical model, 'baryonification'. First, using WL only, we compare the |$S_8$| constraints using baryonification to a simulation-calibrated halo model, a simulation-based emulator model, and the approach of discarding WL measurements on small angular scales. We find that model flexibility can shift the value of |$S_8$| and degrade the uncertainty. The kSZ provides additional constraints on the astrophysical parameters, with the joint WL + kSZ analysis constraining |$S_8=0.823^{+0.019}_{-0.020}$|⁠. We measure the suppression of the non-linear matter power spectrum using WL + kSZ and constrain a mean feedback scenario that is more extreme than the predictions from most hydrodynamical simulations. We constrain the baryon fractions and the gas mass fractions and find them to be generally lower than inferred from X-ray observations and simulation predictions. We conclude that the WL + kSZ measurements provide a new and complementary benchmark for building a coherent picture of the impact of gas around galaxies across observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall objective of this study is to investigate claims found in the literature that fossil groups, characterized by a large magnitude gap between their two brightest galaxies, are darker, i.e. exhibit higher mass-to-light (M/L) ratios, compared to regular groups. Specifically, we aim to measure the mass of these systems using the weak gravitational lensing technique. To achieve this, we obtained deep images of four fossil systems with the CFHT telescope in the |$r$| and g bands. Through a careful process of weak gravitational shear measurement, including corrections for the point spread function (PSF) and contamination from group and foreground galaxies, we fit NFW models and obtained mass measurements as a result. Similarly, we quantified the light distribution produced by these groups, taking into account relevant data gaps in the images due to the presence of bright stars, as well as contamination from foreground and background galaxies. We obtained masses and M/L ratios that are consistent with previous results where mass was estimated from galaxy dynamics. Indeed, the four fossil systems studied here exhibit high M/L ratios compared to the general population of systems. Drawing more generalizable conclusions from a sample of only four systems is challenging. However, the procedure outlined in this study can be applied to large image surveys, allowing for a revisiting of this question with significantly reduced statistical uncertainties. This will enable a more homogeneous comparison between fossil groups and clusters and the overall population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address a theoretical investigation of the gravitational lensing phenomenon within the space-time framework of a holonomy-corrected spherically symmetric black hole (BH), incorporating both ordinary and phantom global monopoles. Our focus lies on the analysis of null geodesics within this BH background, examining the influence of ordinary and phantom global monopoles on the effective potential of null geodesics of the system. Afterwards, we derive analytical expressions for the deflection angle of photon light, considering weak field limit. The obtain expressions are presented up to the second order of the Loop Quantum Gravity parameter, enabling a thorough examination of the impact of ordinary and phantom global monopoles on the deflection angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we confront a class of f (Q) gravity models with observational data of galaxy–galaxy lensing. Specifically, we consider f (Q) gravity models containing a small quadratic correction when compared with general relativity (GR), and quantify this correction by a model parameter, α. To derive the observational constraints, we start by extracting spherically symmetric solutions, which correspond to deviations from the Schwarzschild solution that depends on the model parameters in a twofold way, i.e., a renormalized mass and a new term proportional to r −2. Then, we calculate the effective lensing potential, the deflection angle, the shear component, and the effective excess surface density profile. After that, we employ a group catalog and a shape catalog from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 for the lens and source samples, respectively. Moreover, we handle the off-center radius as a free parameter and constrain it using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Concerning the deviation parameter from GR we derive α = 1.202 − 0.179 + 0.277 × 10 − 6 Mpc − 2 at the 1 σ confidence level, and then compare the fitting efficiency with the standard Λ cold dark matter paradigm by applying the Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion. Our results indicate that the f (Q) corrections alongside the off-center effect yield a scenario that is slightly favored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define compactness of a gravitational lens as the scaled closest distance of approach (i.e., r0/M) of the null geodesic giving rise to an image. We model 40 supermassive dark objects as Schwarzschild lenses and compute compactness of lenses (determined by the formation of the first-order relativistic image). We then obtain a novel formula for the compactness of a lens as a function of mass to the distance ratio (M/Dd) and the ratio of lens–source to the observer–source distances (Dds/Ds). This formula yields a very important result: Just an observation of a relativistic image would give an incredibly accurate upper bound to the physical compactness (the ratio of the radius to mass) of the lens without having any knowledge of mass of the lens, angular source position, and observer–source and lens–source distances. Similarly, we show that the observation of the second-order relativistic image would give a lower value of upper bound to the physical compactness. These results, though obtained for supermassive dark objects at galactic centers, are valid for any object compact enough to give rise to relativistic images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abell 514 (A514) at z = 0.071 is an intriguing merging system exhibiting highly elongated (∼1 Mpc) X-ray features and three large-scale (300 ∼ 500 kpc) bent radio jets. To dissect this system with its multiwavelength data, it is critical to robustly identify and quantify its dark matter substructures. We present a weak-lensing analysis of A514 using deep Magellan/Megacam observations. Combining two optical band filter imaging data obtained under optimal seeing (∼0.″6) and leveraging the proximity of A514, we achieve a high source density of ∼ 46 arcmin − 2 or ∼6940 Mpc−2, which enables high-resolution mass reconstruction. We unveil the complex dark matter substructures of A514, which are characterized by the NW and SE subclusters separated by ∼0.7 Mpc, each exhibiting a bimodal mass distribution. The total mass of the NW subcluster is estimated to be M 200 c NW = 1.08 − 0.22 + 0.25 × 10 14 M ⊙ and is further resolved into the eastern ( M 200 c NW E = 2.6 − 1.1 + 1.4 × 10 13 M ⊙) and western ( M 200 c NW W = 7.1 − 2.0 + 2.3 × 10 13 M ⊙ ) components. The mass of the SE subcluster is M 200 c SE = 1.55 − 0.26 + 0.28 × 10 14 M ⊙ , which is also further resolved into the northern ( M 200 c SE N = 2.9 − 1.3 + 1.8 × 10 13 M ⊙ ) and southern ( M 200 c SE S = 8.5 − 2.6 + 3.1 × 10 13 M ⊙ ) components. These four substructures coincide with the A514 brightest galaxies and are detected with significances ranging from 3.3 σ to 4.7 σ. Comparison of the dark matter substructures with the X-ray distribution suggests that A514 might have experienced an off-axis collision, and the NW and SE subclusters are currently near their apocenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an updated mass and magnification model of galaxy cluster A370 using new NIRCam, NIRISS, and NIRSpec data from the Canadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS). Using Lenstool and a combination of archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and MUSE data with new JWST data as constraints, we derive an improved gravitational lensing model and extract magnifications of background galaxies with uncertainties. Using our best fit model, we perform a search for new multiply imaged systems via predicted positions. We report no new multiply imaged systems with identifiable redshifts, likely due to already very deep HST and Spitzer data but confirm a z ∼ 8 multiply imaged system by measuring its redshift with NIRISS and NIRSpec spectra. We find that the overall shape of the critical curve for a source at z = 9.0 is similar to previous models of A370, with small changes. We investigate the z ∼ 8 galaxy with two images observable with an apparent magnitude in the F125W band of 26.0 ± 0.2 and 25.6 ± 0.1. After correcting for the magnifications of the images, 7.4 − 0.3 + 0.5 and 9.4 − 0.4 + 0.5 , we use spectral energy distribution fitting to find an intrinsic stellar mass of log(M */ M ⊙) = 7.49 − 0.05 + 0.04 , intrinsic star formation rate of 2.8 − 0.3 + 0.4 M ⊙ yr−1, and M UV of −21.3 − 0.2 + 0.2 , which is close to the knee of the luminosity function at that redshift. Our model, and corresponding magnification, shear, and convergence maps are available on request and will be made publicly available on MAST in a CANUCS data release (doi:10.17909/ph4n-6n76). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a combined strong and weak gravitational-lensing analysis of the massive galaxy cluster MACS J1423.8+2404 (⁠|$z=0.545$|⁠ , MACS J1423 hereafter), one of the most dynamically relaxed and massive cool-core clusters discovered in the MAssive Cluster Survey at |$z\gt 0.5$|⁠. We combine high-resolution imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the F 606 W, F 814 W , and F 160 W pass-bands with spectroscopic observations taken as part of the KALEIDOSCOPE survey with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer mounted on the Very Large Telescope. Our strong lensing analysis of the mass distribution in the cluster core is constrained by four multiple-image systems (17 individual images) within redshift range |$1.779\lt z\lt 2.840$|⁠. Our weak lensing analysis of the cluster outskirts, confined to the HST field of view, is based on a background galaxy catalogue with a density of 57 gal arcmin |$^{-2}$|⁠. We measure a projected mass of |$M(R\lt 200$|  kpc) = (1.6 |$\pm$| 0.05) |$\times$| 10 |$^{14}$|  M |$_{\rm \odot }$| from our strong lensing model, and a projected mass of |$M(R\lt 640$|  kpc) = (6.6 |$\pm$| 0.6) |$\times$| 10 |$^{14}$|  M |$_{\rm \odot }$| when combining with our the weak lensing constraints. Our analysis of the cluster mass distribution yields no evidence of substructures, confirming the dynamically relaxed state of MACS J1423. Our work sets the stage for future analysis of MACS J1423 in the upcoming Canadian Near-Infrared Imager and Stiltless Spectrograph Unbiased Cluster Survey for the JWST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weak gravitational lensing is a powerful tool for precision tests of cosmology. As the expected deflection angles are small, predictions based on non-linear N -body simulations are commonly computed with the Born approximation. Here, we examine this assumption using DORIAN, a newly developed full-sky ray-tracing scheme applied to high-resolution mass-shell outputs of the two largest simulations in the MillenniumTNG suite, each with a 3000 Mpc box containing almost 1.1 trillion cold dark matter particles in addition to 16.7 billion particles representing massive neutrinos. We examine simple two-point statistics like the angular power spectrum of the convergence field, as well as statistics sensitive to higher order correlations such as peak and minimum statistics, void statistics, and Minkowski functionals of the convergence maps. Overall, we find only small differences between the Born approximation and a full ray-tracing treatment. While these are negligibly small at power-spectrum level, some higher order statistics show more sizeable effects; ray-tracing is necessary to achieve per cent level precision. At the resolution reached here, full-sky maps with 0.8 billion pixels and an angular resolution of 0.43 arcmin, we find that interpolation accuracy can introduce appreciable errors in ray-tracing results. We therefore implemented an interpolation method based on non-uniform fast Fourier transforms (NUFFT) along with more traditional methods. Bilinear interpolation introduces significant smoothing, while nearest grid point sampling agrees well with NUFFT, at least for our fiducial source redshift, |$z_s=1.0$|⁠ , and for the 1 arcmin smoothing we use for higher order statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that maximizing the information extracted from upcoming and ongoing stage-IV weak-lensing surveys requires higher order summary statistics that complement the standard two-point statistics. In this work, we focus on weak-lensing peak statistics to test two popular modified gravity models, |$f(R)$| and nDGP, using the forge and bridge weak-lensing simulations, respectively. From these simulations, we measure the peak statistics as a function of both cosmological and modified gravity parameters simultaneously. Our findings indicate that the peak abundance is sensitive to the strength of modified gravity, while the peak two-point correlation function is sensitive to the nature of the screening mechanism in a modified gravity model. We combine these simulated statistics with a Gaussian Process Regression emulator and a Gaussian likelihood to generate stage-IV forecast posterior distributions for the modified gravity models. We demonstrate that, assuming small scales can be correctly modelled, peak statistics can be used to distinguish general relativity from |$f(R)$| and nDGP models at the 2σ level with a stage-IV survey area of |$300$| and |$1000 \, \rm {deg}^2$|⁠ , respectively. Finally, we show that peak statistics can constrain |$\log _{10}\left(|f_{R0}|\right) = -6$|  per cent to 2 per cent precision, and |$\log _{10}(H_0 r_c) = 0.5$| per cent to 25 per cent precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the deflection angle of photon rays or light-like geodesics within the framework of Eddington-inspired Born–Infeld (EiBI) gravity background space-time, taking into account the influence of cosmic strings. The primary focus lies in deriving the effective potential of the system applicable to both null and time-like geodesics, as well as determining the angle of deflection for light-like geodesics. Our analysis shows that the presence of cosmic strings induces modifications in these physical quantities, leading to shifts in their respective values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present JWST/NIRSpec prism spectroscopy of MACS0647−JD, a triply lensed z ∼ 11 candidate discovered in Hubble Space Telescope imaging and spatially resolved by JWST imaging into two components, A and B. Spectroscopy of component A yields a spectroscopic redshift z = 10.17 based on seven detected emission lines: C iii ] λ λ 1907, 1909, [O ii ] λ 3727, [Ne iii ] λ 3869, [Ne iii ] λ 3968, H δ λ 4101, H γ λ 4340, and [O iii ] λ 4363. These are the second-most distant detections of these emission lines to date, in a galaxy observed just 460 million years after the Big Bang. Based on observed and extrapolated line flux ratios we derive a gas-phase metallicity 12 + log(O/H) ∼ 7.5–8.0, or Z ∼ (0.06–0.2) Z ⊙, ionization parameter log (U) = −1.9 ± 0.2, and an ionizing photon production efficiency log (ξ ion) = 25.2 ± 0.2 erg−1 Hz. The spectrum has a softened Ly α break, evidence for a strong Ly α damping wing. The Ly α damping wing also suppresses the F150W photometry, explaining the slightly overestimated photometric redshift z = 10.6 ± 0.3. MACS0647−JD has a stellar mass log(M / M ⊙) = 8.1 ± 0.3, including ∼6 × 107 M ⊙ in component A, most of which formed recently (within ∼20 Myr) with a star formation rate ∼ 2 ± 1 M ⊙ yr−1, all within an effective radius 70 ± 24 pc. Spectroscopy of a fainter companion galaxy C separated by a distance of ∼ 3 kpc reveals a Lyman break consistent with z ∼ 10.17. MACS0647−JD is likely the most distant galaxy merger known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years alone, the lensing community has discovered thousands of strong lens candidates, and spectroscopically confirmed hundreds of them. In this time of abundance, it becomes pragmatic to focus our time and resources on the few extraordinary systems, in order to most efficiently study the Universe. In this paper, we present such a system: DESI-090.9854-35.9683, a cluster-scale lens at z l = 0.49, with seven observed lensed sources around the core, and additional lensed sources further out in the cluster. From the number and the textbook configuration of the lensed images, a tight constraint on the mass potential of the lens is possible. This would allow for detailed analysis on the dark and luminous matter content within galaxy clusters, as well as a probe into dark energy and high-redshift galaxies. We present our spatially resolved kinematic measurements of this system from the Very Large Telescope Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, which confirm five of these source galaxies (in ascending order, at z s = 0.962, 0.962, 1.166, 1.432, and 1.432). With previous Hubble Space Telescope imaging in the F140W and F200LP bands, we also present a simple flux-based lens model consisting of two power-law profiles that, for a cluster lens, well models the five lensed arc families with redshifts. We determine the mass to be M (< θ E) = 4.78 × 1013 M ⊙ for the primary mass potential. From the model, we extrapolate the redshift of one of the two source galaxies not yet spectroscopically confirmed to be at z s = 4.52 − 0.71 + 1.03 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We forecast constraints on cosmological parameters enabled by three surveys conducted with SPT-3G, the third-generation camera on the South Pole Telescope. The surveys cover separate regions of 1500, 2650, and 6000 deg2 to different depths, in total observing 25% of the sky. These regions will be measured to white noise levels of roughly 2.5, 9, and 12 μ K -armin, respectively, in cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature units at 150 GHz by the end of 2024. The survey also includes measurements at 95 and 220 GHz, which have noise levels a factor of ∼1.2 and 3.5 times higher than 150 GHz, respectively, with each band having a polarization noise level ∼ 2 times higher than the temperature noise. We use a novel approach to obtain the covariance matrices for jointly and optimally estimated gravitational lensing potential band powers and unlensed CMB temperature and polarization band powers. We demonstrate the ability to test the ΛCDM model via the consistency of cosmological parameters constrained independently from SPT-3G and Planck data, and consider the improvement in constraints on ΛCDM extension parameters from a joint analysis of SPT-3G and Planck data. The ΛCDM cosmological parameters are typically constrained with uncertainties up to ∼2 times smaller with SPT-3G data, compared to Planck, with the two data sets measuring significantly different angular scales and polarization levels, providing additional tests of the standard cosmological model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MACS J0600.1-2008 (MACS0600) is an X-ray-luminous, massive galaxy cluster at |$z_{\mathrm{d}}=0.43$|⁠ , studied previously by the REionization LensIng Cluster Survey and ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey projects which revealed a complex, bimodal mass distribution and an intriguing high-redshift object behind it. Here, we report on the results of a combined analysis of the extended strong lensing (SL), X-ray, Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ), and galaxy luminosity-density properties of this system. Using new JWST and ground-based Gemini-N and Keck data, we obtain 13 new spectroscopic redshifts of multiply-imaged galaxies and identify 12 new photometric multiple-image systems and candidates, including two multiply-imaged |$z\sim 7$| objects. Taking advantage of the larger areal coverage, our analysis reveals an additional bimodal, massive SL structure which we measure spectroscopically to lie adjacent to the cluster and whose existence was implied by previous SL-modelling analyses. While based in part on photometric systems identified in ground-based imaging requiring further verification, our extended SL model suggests that the cluster may have the second-largest critical area and effective Einstein radius observed to date, |$A_{\mathrm{crit}}\simeq 2.16\, \mathrm{arcmin}^2$| and |$\theta _{\mathrm{E}}=49.7^{\prime \prime }\pm 5.0^{\prime \prime }$| for a source at |$z_{\mathrm{s}}=2$|⁠ , enclosing a total mass of |$M(\lt \theta _{\mathrm{E}})=(4.7\pm 0.7)\times 10^{14}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$|⁠. These results are also supported by the galaxy luminosity distribution, and the SZ and X-ray data. Yet another, probably related massive cluster structure, discovered in X-rays 5 arcmin (1.7 Mpc) further north, suggests that MACS0600 is part of an even larger filamentary structure. This discovery adds to several recent detections of massive structures around SL galaxy clusters and establishes MACS0600 as a prime target for future high-redshift surveys with JWST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational microlensing with binary lensing is one of the channels for detecting exoplanets. Due to the degeneracy of the lens parameters for the binary microlensing, additional features such as parallax and finite-size effects need to identify the lens parameters. The frequency-shift effect as the relativistic analogy of the gravity assist for the photons, is an extra observation that provides additional constraint between the lens parameters. In this work, we extend the application of the frequency-shift effect to binary microlensing and derive the frequency shift during the lensing and caustic crossing. The frequency shift for the binary lens is of the order of |${\Delta \nu }/{\nu }\sim 10^{-12}$|⁠. We also investigate the feasibility of detecting this effect by employing cross-correlation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0845, which was affected by both the microlensing parallax and xallarap effects. The former was detected via the simultaneous observations from the ground and Spitzer , and the latter was caused by the orbital motion of the source star in a relatively close binary. The combination of these two effects led to a mass measurement of the lens object, revealing a low-mass (⁠|$0.14 \pm 0.05 \, \mathrm{ M}_{\odot }$|⁠) M dwarf at the bulge distance (⁠|$7.6 \pm 1.0$| kpc). The source binary consists of a late F-type subgiant and a K-type dwarf of |$\sim 1.2$| and |$\sim 0.9 \mathrm{ M}_{\odot }$|⁠ , respectively, and the orbital period is |$70 \pm 10$| d. OGLE-2015-BLG-0845 is the first single-lens event in which the lens mass is measured via the binarity of the source. Given the abundance of binary systems as potential microlensing sources, the xallarap effect may not be a rare phenomenon. Our work thus highlights the application of the xallarap effect in the mass determination of microlenses, and the same method can be used to identify isolated dark lenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of upcoming large-scale surveys like Euclid, the necessity for the automation of strong lens detection is essential. While existing machine learning pipelines heavily rely on the classification probability (P), this study intends to address the importance of integrating additional metrics, such as Information Content (IC) and the number of pixels above the segmentation threshold (⁠|$\rm {\mathit{n}_{s}}$|⁠), to alleviate the false positive rate in unbalanced data-sets. In this work, we introduce a segmentation algorithm (U-Net) as a supplementary step in the established strong gravitational lens identification pipeline (Denselens), which primarily utilizes |$\rm {\mathit{P}_{mean}}$| and |$\rm {IC_{mean}}$| parameters for the detection and ranking. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of segmentation enables significant reduction of false positives by approximately 25 per cent in the final sample extracted from DenseLens, without compromising the identification of strong lenses. The main objective of this study is to automate the strong lens detection process by integrating these three metrics. To achieve this, a decision tree-based selection process is introduced, applied to the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) data. This process involves rank-ordering based on classification scores (⁠|$\rm {\mathit{P}_{mean}}$|⁠), filtering based on Information Content (⁠|$\rm {IC_{mean}}$|⁠), and segmentation score (⁠|$\rm {n_{s}}$|⁠). Additionally, the study presents 14 newly discovered strong lensing candidates identified by the U-Denselens network using the KiDS DR4 data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxy–galaxy strong gravitational lensing (GGSL) is a powerful probe for the formation and evolution of galaxies and cosmology, while the sample size of GGSLs leads to considerable uncertainties and potential bias. The China Space Station Telescope (CSST, to be launched in late 2026) will conduct observations across 17 500 square degrees of the sky, capturing images in the |$ugriz$| bands with a spatial resolution comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope. We ran a set of Monte Carlo simulations to predict that the CSST's wide-field survey will observe |$\sim$| 160 000 galaxy–galaxy strong lenses over its lifespan, increasing the number of existing galaxy–galaxy strong lens samples by three orders of magnitude. This is comparable to the capabilities of the |$\it Euclid$| telescope but with the added benefit of additional colour information. Specifically, the CSST can detect strong lenses with Einstein radii about |$0.64\pm 0.42 ^{\prime \prime }$|⁠ , corresponding to the velocity dispersions of |$217.19 \pm 50.55 \, \text{km/s}$|⁠. These lenses exhibit a median magnification of |$\sim$| 5. The apparent magnitude of the unlensed sources in the g band is |$25.87 \pm 1.19$|⁠. The signal-to-noise ratio of the lensed images covers a range of |${\sim} 20$| to |${\sim} 1000$|⁠ , allowing us to determine the Einstein radius with an accuracy ranging from |${\sim} 1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| to |${\sim} 0.1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠ , ignoring various modelling systematics. Our estimates indicate that CSST can observe rare systems like double source-plane and spiral galaxy lenses. The above selection functions of the CSST strong lensing observation help optimize the strategy of finding and modelling GGSLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong gravitational lensing provides a purely gravitational means to infer properties of dark matter haloes and thereby constrain the particle nature of dark matter. Strong lenses sometimes appear as four lensed images of a background quasar accompanied by spatially resolved emission from the quasar host galaxy encircling the main deflector (lensed arcs). We present methodology to simultaneously reconstruct lensed arcs and relative image magnifications (flux ratios) in the presence of full populations of subhaloes and line-of-sight haloes. To this end, we develop a new approach for multiplane ray tracing that accelerates lens mass and source light reconstruction by factors of |$\sim\!\! 100\!\!-\!\!1000$|⁠. Using simulated data, we show that simultaneous reconstruction of lensed arcs and flux ratios isolates small-scale perturbations to flux ratios by dark matter substructure from uncertainties associated with the main deflector mass profile on larger angular scales. Relative to analyses that use only image positions and flux ratios to constrain the lens model, incorporating arcs strengthens likelihood ratios penalizing warm dark matter with a suppression scale |$m_{\rm {hm}} / {\rm M}_{\odot }$| in the ranges of |$\left[10^7 \!\!-\!\! 10^{7.5}\right]$|⁠ , |$\left[10^{7.5} \!\!-\!\! 10^{8}\right]$|⁠ , |$\left[10^8 \!\!-\!\! 10^{8.5}\right]$|⁠ , and |$\left[10^{8.5} \!\!-\!\! 10^{9}\right]$| by factors of 1.3, 2.5, 5.6, and 13.1, respectively, for a cold dark matter ground truth. The 95 per cent exclusion limit improves by 0.5 dex in |$\log _{10} m_{\rm {hm}}$|⁠. The enhanced sensitivity to low-mass haloes enabled by these methods pushes the observational frontier of substructure lensing to the threshold of galaxy formation, enabling stringent tests of any theory that alters the properties of dark matter haloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is motivated to study the weak gravitational lensing of the black hole in the context of Starobinsky–Bel–Robinsion gravity. We deduce the deflection angle of light in the weak field limits. For this purpose, we find the Gaussian curvature and apply the Gauss–Bonnet theorem. We also investigate the deflection angle at which light is deflected by a plasma medium. Furthermore, we analyze the graphical behavior of the deflection angle in the framework of SBR gravity. We also calculate the energy extracted from the black hole in SBR gravity, Einstein ring, and lens equation in the non-plasma and plasma framework. We conclude this study with a discussion of how light beams behave when they approach such a four-dimensional black hole by calculating the deflection angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantum-corrected black hole model demonstrates significant potential in the study of gravitational lensing effects. By incorporating quantum effects, this model addresses the singularity problem in classical black holes. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the quantum correction parameter on the lensing effect based on the quantum-corrected black hole model. Using the black holes M 87 ∗ and S g r A ∗ as our subjects, we explore the influence of the quantum correction parameter on angular position, Einstein ring, and time delay. Additionally, we use data from the Event Horizon Telescope observations of black hole shadows to constrain the quantum correction parameter. Our results indicate that the quantum correction parameter significantly affects the lensing coefficients a ¯ and b ¯ , as well as the Einstein ring. The position θ ∞ and brightness ratio S of the relativistic image exhibit significant changes,with deviations on the order of magnitude of ∼ 1 μ as and ∼ 0.01 μ as , respectively. The impact of the quantum correction parameter on the time delay Δ T 21 is particularly significant in the M 87 ∗ black hole, with deviations reaching up to several tens of hours. Using observational data from the Event Horizon Telescope(EHT) of black hole shadows to constrain the quantum correction parameter, the constraint range under the M 87 ∗ black hole is 0 ≤ α M 2 ≤ 1.4087 and the constraint range under the S g r A ∗ black hole is 0.9713 ≤ α M 2 ≤ 1.6715 . Although the current resolution of the EHT limits the observation of subtle differences, future high-resolution telescopes are expected to further distinguish between the quantum-corrected black hole and the Schwarzschild black hole, providing new avenues for exploring quantum gravitational effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the gravitational lensing effect and the shadow around a Schwarzschild-like black hole in metric-affine bumblebee gravity, which leads to the Lorentz symmetry breaking. We first present a generalized formalism for calculating higher-order corrections to light weak bending angle in a static, spherically symmetric and not asymptotically flat spacetime, and then applying this general formalism to the metric-affine bumblebee gravity. Moreover, we derive the light deflection angle and the size of the Einstein ring within the weak field in this scenario. In addition, we analyze the black hole shadow in this theory framework. By using observational data from the Einstein's ring of the galaxy ESO325-G004 and the black hole shadow of the M 87 galaxy, we estimate the upper bounds of the Lorentz symmetry breaking coefficient ℓ , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hubble constant (⁠|$H_0$|⁠), a crucial parameter in cosmology, quantifies the expansion rate of the universe so its precise measurement is important to understand the fundamental dynamics of our evolving universe. One of the major limitations of measuring |$H_0$| using time-delay cosmography is the presence of the mass-sheet degeneracy (MSD) in the lens mass modelling. We propose and quantitatively assess the use of galaxy–galaxy shear measurements to break the MSD in the strong lensing mass modelling. We use stacked galaxy–galaxy lensing profiles and corresponding covariance matrices from Huang et al. to constrain the MSD in lens mass modelling with a highly flexible mass profile. Our analyses show that if ideally all galaxy–galaxy lensing measurements from the Hyper Suprime-Cam survey can be used to constrain the MSD, we can achieve |$\sim 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| precision on the MSD constraint. We forecast that galaxy–galaxy lensing measurements from Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)-like surveys can in general constrain the MSD with |$\sim 1\,\mathrm{ per\,cent}-3~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| precision. Furthermore, if we push weak lensing measurements to a lower angular scale of |$\sim 0.04\,\rm Mpc$|⁠ , a survey like LSST can provide |$\sim 1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| precision on the MSD constraint, enabling a measurement of |$H_0$| at the 1 per cent level. We demonstrate that galaxy–galaxy weak lensing can robustly constrain the MSD independent of stellar kinematics of the deflector, with wide-field survey data alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal extraction of cosmological information from observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) critically relies on our ability to accurately undo the distortions caused by weak gravitational lensing. In this work, we demonstrate the use of denoising diffusion models in performing Bayesian lensing reconstruction. We show that score-based generative models can produce accurate, uncorrelated samples from the CMB lensing convergence map posterior, given noisy CMB observations. To validate our approach, we compare the samples of our model to those obtained using established Hamiltonian Monte Carlo methods, which assume a Gaussian lensing potential. We then go beyond this assumption of Gaussianity, and train and validate our model on non-Gaussian lensing data, obtained by ray-tracing N -body simulations. We demonstrate that in this case, samples from our model have accurate non-Gaussian statistics beyond the power spectrum. The method provides an avenue towards more efficient and accurate lensing reconstruction, which does not rely on an approximate analytical description of the posterior probability. The reconstructed lensing maps can be used as an unbiased tracer of the matter distribution, and to improve delensing of the CMB, resulting in more precise cosmological parameter inference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation gravitational wave (GW) observatories are expected to measure GW signals with unprecedented sensitivity, opening new, independent avenues to learn about our Universe. The distance–redshift relation is a fulcrum for cosmology and can be tested with GWs emitted by merging binaries of compact objects, called standard sirens, thanks to the fact that they provide the absolute distance from the source. On the other hand, fluctuations of the intervening matter density field induce modifications on the measurement of luminosity distance compared to that of a homogeneous universe. Assuming that the redshift information is obtained through the detection of an electromagnetic counterpart, we investigate the impact that lensing of GWs might have in the inference of cosmological parameters. We treat lensing as a systematic error and check for residual bias on the values of the cosmological parameters. We do so by means of mock catalogues of bright siren events in different scenarios relevant to the Einstein Telescope. For our fiducial scenario, the lensing bias can be comparable to or greater than the expected statistical uncertainty of the cosmological parameters, although non-negligible fluctuations in the bias values are observed for different realizations of the mock catalogue. We also discuss some mitigation strategies that can be adopted in the data analysis. Overall, our work highlights the need to model lensing effects when using standard sirens as probes of the distance–redshift relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient algorithms are being developed to search for strong gravitational lens systems owing to increasing large imaging surveys. Neural networks have been successfully used to discover galaxy-scale lens systems in imaging surveys such as the Kilo Degree Survey, Hyper-Suprime Cam (HSC) Survey, and Dark Energy Survey over the last few years. Thus, it has become imperative to understand how some of these networks compare, their strengths and the role of the training data sets which are essential in supervised learning algorithms used commonly in neural networks. In this work, we present the first-of-its-kind systematic comparison and benchmarking of networks from four teams that have analysed the HSC Survey data. Each team has designed their training samples and developed neural networks independently but coordinated a priori in reserving specific data sets strictly for test purposes. The test sample consists of mock lenses, real (candidate) lenses, and real non-lenses gathered from various sources to benchmark and characterize the performance of each of the network. While each team's network performed much better on their own constructed test samples compared to those from others, all networks performed comparable on the test sample with real (candidate) lenses and non-lenses. We also investigate the impact of swapping the training samples among the teams while retaining the same network architecture. We find that this resulted in improved performance for some networks. These results have direct implications on measures to be taken for lens searches with upcoming imaging surveys such as the Rubin-Legacy Survey of Space and Time, Roman, and Euclid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the late 1960s and the early twenty-first century, the process by which astronomers identified gravitational lenses went from a time-consuming spectroscopic experiment to a two-second glance at a telescope image. This article analyzes discoveries of gravitational lenses over this period to explore the questions: How did astronomers learn to see new objects in the sky, and how did they train their eyes to effortlessly recognize these patterns in nature? Rather than separating procedural and intuitive approaches, I argue that the mathematical modeling and the spectroscopic identifications of the sixties and seventies were necessary scaffolding for the development of expert intuition in the eighties. By developing an intuition for what a lens looked like, astronomers increasingly relied on their own expert judgment rather than spectroscopy or calculations to initially identify lensing candidates. Through this history, I highlight intuition as a skill and explore the methods by which scientists train and retrain their intuition over the course of a career. The gamut of gravitational lens discoveries reveals that scientists used models to not only describe the world as it is but also to teach themselves what it could look like. To retrain their intuition and to learn how to see gravitational lenses, astronomers learned to see their models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational lensing is the phenomenon where the presence of matter (called a lens) bends the path of light-like trajectories travelling nearby. Similar to the geometric optics limit of electromagnetic waves, gravitational lensing of gravitational waves (GWs) can occur in geometric optics condition when GW wavelength is much smaller than the Schwarzschild radius of the lens, that is, |$\lambda _{\mathrm{ GW}} \ll$| R |$^{\rm s}_{\rm lens}$|⁠. This is known as the strong lensing regime for which a multiple-image system with different magnifications and phase shifts is formed. We developed GLANCE , Gravitational Lensing Authenticator using Non-modelled Cross-correlation Exploration, a novel technique to detect strongly lensed GW signals. We demonstrate that cross-correlation between two noisy reconstruction of polarized GW signals shows a non-zero value when the signals are lensed counterparts. The relative strength between the signal cross-correlation and noise cross-correlation can quantify the significance of the event(s) being lensed. Since lensing biases the inference of source parameters, primarily the luminosity distance, a joint parameter estimation of the source and lens-induced parameters is incorporated using a Bayesian framework. We applied GLANCE to synthetic strong lensing data and showed that it can detect lensed GW signals and correctly constrain the injected source and lens parameters, even when one of the signals is below match-filtered threshold signal-to-noise ratio. This demonstrates GLANCE 's capability as a robust detection technique for strongly lensed GW signals and can distinguish between lensed and unlensed events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While quiescent galaxies have comparable amounts of cool gas in their outer circumgalactic medium (CGM) compared to star-forming galaxies, they have significantly less interstellar gas. However, open questions remain on the processes causing galaxies to stop forming stars and stay quiescent. Theories suggest dynamical interactions with the hot corona prevent cool gas from reaching the galaxy, therefore predicting the inner regions of quiescent galaxy CGMs are devoid of cool gas. However, there is a lack of understanding of the inner regions of CGMs due to the lack of spatial information in quasar-sightline methods. We present integral-field spectroscopy probing 10–20 kpc (2.4–4.8 Re) around a massive quiescent galaxy using a gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxy. We detect absorption from Magnesium (MgII) implying large amounts of cool atomic gas (108.4–109.3 M⊙ with T~104 Kelvin), in comparable amounts to star-forming galaxies. Lens modeling of Hubble imaging also reveals a diffuse asymmetric component of significant mass consistent with the spatial extent of the MgII absorption, and offset from the galaxy light profile. This study demonstrates the power of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses to not only probe the gas around galaxies, but to also independently probe the mass of the CGM due to it's gravitational effect. Quiescent galaxies have similar amount of cool gas to star forming galaxies, yet why galaxies stop forming stars remains an open question. The authors investigate why passive galaxies remain quiescent using a gravitationally lensed background galaxy to probe the faint, diffuse cool gas around a massive quiescent galaxy, and use lensing configuration to constrain the total mass and geometry of this gas reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studies microlensing effects in strongly lensed gravitational wave (GW) signals corresponding to global minima images in galaxy-scale lenses. We find that stellar microlenses alone are unable to introduce noticeable wave effects in the global minima GW signals at strong lensing magnification |$({\mu})\lt 50$| with match value between unlensed and lensed GW signals being above |${\sim }99.5~{{\ \rm per \, cent}}$| in |${\sim }90~{{\ \rm per \, cent}}$| of systems implying that GW signals corresponding to global minima can be treated as reference signal to determine the amount of microlensing in other strongly lensed counterparts. Since the stellar microlenses introduce negligible wave effects in global minima, they can be used to probe the intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) lenses in the galaxy lens. We show that the presence of an IMBH lens with mass in the range |$[50,10^3]~{\rm M_\odot }$| such that the global minima lies within five Einstein radius of it, the microlensing effects at |$f\lt 10^2$| Hz are mainly determined by the IMBH lens for |${\mu} \lt 50$|⁠. Assuming that a typical strong lensing magnification of 3.8 and high enough signal-to-noise ratio (in the range |${\simeq }[10, 30]$|⁠) to detect the microlensing effect in GW signals corresponding to global minima, with non-detection of IMBH-led microlensing effects in |${\simeq }15~({\simeq }150)$| lensed GW signals, we can rule out dark matter fraction |$\gt 10~{{\ \rm per \, cent}}~(\gt 1~{{\ \rm per \, cent}})$| made of IMBH population inside galaxy lenses with mass values |$\gt 150~{\rm M_\odot }$| with |${\sim }$| 90 per cent confidence. Although we have specifically used IMBHs as an example, the same analysis applies to any subhalo (or compact objects) with lensing masses (i.e. the total mass inside Einstein radius) satisfying the above criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxy cluster masses derived from observations of weak lensing suffer from a number of biases affecting the accuracy of mass-observable relations calibrated from such observations. In particular, the choice of the cluster centre plays a prominent role in biasing inferred masses. In the past, empirical miscentring distributions have been used to address this issue. Using hydrodynamic simulations, we aim to test the accuracy of weak lensing mass bias predictions based on such miscentring distributions by comparing the results to mass biases computed directly using intracluster medium (ICM)-based centres from the same simulation. We construct models for fitting masses to both centred and miscentred Navarro–Frenk–White profiles of reduced shear, and model the resulting distributions of mass bias with normal and lognormal distributions. We find that the standard approach of using miscentring distributions leads to an overestimation of cluster masses at levels of between 2 per cent and 6 per cent when compared to the analysis in which actual simulated ICM centres are used, even when the underlying miscentring distributions match in terms of the miscentring amplitude. While we find that neither lognormal nor normal distributions are generally reliable for accurately modelling the shapes of the mass bias distributions, both models can serve as reasonable approximations in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population of strong lensing galaxies is a subset of intermediate-redshift massive galaxies, whose population-level properties are not yet well understood. In the near future, thousands of multiply imaged systems are expected to be discovered by wide-field surveys like Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time and Euclid. With the soon-to-be robust population of quadruply lensed quasars, or quads, in mind, we introduce a novel technique to elucidate the empirical distribution of the galaxy population properties. Our re-imagining of the prevailing strong lensing analysis does not fit mass models to individual lenses, but instead starts with parametric models of many galaxy populations, which include generally ignored mass distribution complexities and exclude external shear for now. We construct many mock galaxy populations with different properties and obtain populations of quads from each of them. The mock 'observed' population of quads is then compared to those from the mocks using a model-free analysis based on a three-dimensional subspace of directly observable quad image properties. The distance between two quad populations in the space of image properties is measured by a metric |$\eta$|⁠ , and the distance between their parent galaxy populations in the space of galaxy properties is measured by |$\zeta$|⁠. We find a well-defined relation between |$\eta$| and |$\zeta$|⁠. The discovered relation between the space of image properties and the space of galaxy properties allows for the observed galaxy population properties to be estimated from the properties of their quads, which will be conducted in a future paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-delay measurements from strong lensing systems combined with spectroscopic measurements of stellar kinematics in deflecting galaxies provide a natural way to infer absolute distances (lensing distances). This means that it can be used to anchor the relative distances of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), and further infer the Hubble constant H 0 in a cosmological model-independent way, while avoiding the assumptions of curvature and the equation of state of dark energy. Indeed, observations based on gravitational lensing time delays can measure H 0 directly, but usually require assumptions about the specific cosmological models. Meanwhile, this method suffers the mass-sheet degeneracy obstacle. These factors may induce the bias on determination of H 0 . However, the inverse distance ladder method we use avoids these assumptions altogether. In this study, we seek for the Pantheon and Pantheon plus datasets and use Gaussian process regression to reconstruct the unanchored distance to match the distance at the redshift of the lens to determine H 0 , respectively. Based on the four H0LiCOW lenses, the unanchored distances reconstructed by combining the Pantheon and Pantheon plus datasets yielded H 0 = 80. 1 - 6.9 + 7.0 km / s / Mpc and H 0 = 81. 2 - 7.0 + 7.1 km / s / Mpc with 1 σ observational uncertainty, respectively. All the lenses show the measured H 0 is in good agreement with the local measurement results reported by the SH0ES collaboration within ∼ 1.3 σ confidence level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxy cluster abundance measurements provide a classic test of cosmology. They are most sensitive to the evolved amplitude of fluctuations, usually expressed as |$S_8 = \sigma _8\sqrt{\Omega _{\rm m}/0.3}$|⁠. Thus, abundance constraints exhibit a strong degeneracy between |$\sigma _8$| and |$\Omega _{\rm m}$|⁠ , as do other similar low-redshift tests such as cosmic shear. The mass distribution in the infall region around galaxy clusters, where material is being accreted from the surrounding field, also exhibits a cosmological dependence, but in this case it is nearly orthogonal to the |$S_8$| direction in the |$\Omega _{\rm m}$| – |$\sigma _8$| plane, making it highly complementary to halo abundance or cosmic shear studies. We explore how weak-lensing measurements of the infall region might be used to complement abundance studies, considering three different tests. The splashback radius is a prominent feature of the infall region; we show that detection of this feature in lensing data from the Euclid survey could independently constrain |$\Omega _{\rm m}$| and |$\sigma _8$| to |$\pm 0.05$|⁠. Another feature, the depletion radius where the bias reaches a minimum, also shows cosmological dependence, though it is challenging to observe in practice. The strongest constraints come from direct measurements of the shear profile in the infall region at 2– |$4\, r_{200{\rm c}}$|⁠. Combining the latter with abundance constraints such as those reported from SRG |$/$| eROSITA should reduce the area of the error contours by an estimated factor of 1.2 using a sample of clusters observed by the UNIONS survey, or a factor of 3 using clusters observed by the Euclid Wide survey over a broader range of redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photometric wide-area observations in the next decade will be capable of detecting a large number of galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses, increasing the gravitational lens sample size by orders of magnitude. To aid in forecasting and analysis of these surveys, we construct a flexible model based on observed distributions for the lens and source properties and test it on the results of past lens searches, including SL2S, SuGOHI, and searches on the COSMOS HST and DES fields. We use this model to estimate the expected yields of some current and planned surveys, including Euclid Wide, Vera Rubin LSST, and Roman High Latitude Wide Area. The model proposed includes a set of free parameters to constrain on the identifiability of a lens in an image, allowing construction of prior probability distributions for different lens detection methods. The code used in this work is made publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong gravitational lensing can be used as a tool for constraining the substructure in the mass distribution of galaxies. In this study we investigate the power spectrum of dark matter perturbations in a population of 23 Hubble Space Telescope images of strong galaxy–galaxy lenses selected from The Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) survey. We model the dark matter substructure as a Gaussian random field perturbation on a smooth lens mass potential, characterized by power-law statistics. We expand upon the previously developed machine learning framework to predict the power-law statistics by using a convolutional neural network (CNN) that accounts for both epistemic and aleatoric uncertainties. For the training sets, we use the smooth lens mass potentials and reconstructed source galaxies that have been previously modelled through traditional fits of analytical and shapelet profiles as a starting point. We train three CNNs with different training set: the first using standard data augmentation on the best-fitting reconstructed sources, the second using different reconstructed sources spaced throughout the posterior distribution, and the third using a combination of the two data sets. We apply the trained CNNs to the SLACS data and find agreement in their predictions. Our results suggest a significant substructure perturbation favouring a high frequency power spectrum across our lens population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a strong gravitational lensing system, the distorted light from a source is analysed to infer the properties of the lens. However, light emitted by the lens itself can contaminate the image of the source, introducing systematic errors in the analysis. We present a simple and efficient lens light model based on the well-tested multi-Gaussian expansion (MGE) method for representing galaxy surface brightness profiles, which we combine with a semi-linear inversion scheme for pixelized source modelling. Testing it against realistic mock lensing images, we show that our scheme can fit the lensed images to the noise level, with relative differences between the true input and best-fitting lens light model remaining below 5 per cent. We apply the MGE lens light model to 38 lenses from the HST SLACS sample. We find that the new scheme provides a good fit for the majority of the sample with only 3 exceptions – these show clear asymmetric residuals in the lens light. We examine the radial dependence of the ellipticity and position angles and confirm that it is common for a typical lens galaxy to exhibit twisting non-elliptical isophotes and boxy / disky isophotes. Our MGE lens light model will be a valuable tool for understanding the hidden complexity of the lens mass distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiply lensed images of a same source experience a relative time delay in the arrival of photons due to the path length difference and the different gravitational potentials the photons travel through. This effect can be used to measure absolute distances and the Hubble constant ( H 0 ) and is known as time-delay cosmography. The method is independent of the local distance ladder and early-universe physics and provides a precise and competitive measurement of H 0 . With upcoming observatories, time-delay cosmography can provide a 1% precision measurement of H 0 and can decisively shed light on the current reported 'Hubble tension'. This manuscript details the general methodology developed over the past decades in time-delay cosmography, discusses recent advances and results, and, foremost, provides a foundation and outlook for the next decade in providing accurate and ever more precise measurements with increased sample size and improved observational techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microlensing near macro-caustics is a complex phenomenon in which swarms of micro-images produced by micro-caustics form on both sides of a macro-critical curve. Recent discoveries of highly magnified images of individual stars in massive galaxy cluster lenses, predicted to be formed by these micro-image swarms, have stimulated studies on this topic. In this article, we explore microlensing near macro-caustics using both simulations and analytic calculations. We show that the mean total magnification of the micro-image swarms follows that of an extended source in the absence of microlensing. Micro-caustics join into a connected network in a region around the macro-critical line of a width proportional to the surface density of microlenses; within this region, the increase of the mean magnification toward the macro-caustic is driven by the increase of the number of micro-images rather than individual magnifications of micro-images. The maximum achievable magnification in micro-caustic crossings decreases with the mass fraction in microlenses. We conclude with a review of applications of this microlensing phenomenon, including limits to the fraction of dark matter in compact objects, and searches of Population III stars and dark matter subhalos. We argue that the discovered highly magnified stars at cosmological distances already imply that less than ∼ 10% of the dark matter may be in the form of compact objects with mass above ∼ 10 − 6 M ⊙ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark matter structures within strong gravitational lens galaxies and along their lines of sight leave a gravitational imprint on the multiple images of lensed sources. Strong gravitational lensing provides, therefore, a key test of different dark matter models. In this article, we describe how galaxy-scale strong gravitational lensing observations are sensitive to the physical nature of dark matter. We provide an historical perspective of the field, and review its current status. We discuss the challenges and advances in terms of data, treatment of systematic errors and theoretical predictions, that will enable one to deliver a stringent and robust test of different dark matter models in the next decade. With the advent of the next generation of sky surveys, the number of known strong gravitational lens systems is expected to increase by several orders of magnitude. Coupled with high-resolution follow-up observations, these data will provide a key opportunity to constrain the properties of dark matter with strong gravitational lensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the tolerance for systematic errors in lensing analysis applied to a patchwork map of Cosmic Microwave Background polarization. We focus on the properties of the individual polarization maps that comprise the patchwork and discuss the associated calibration residuals that are coherent on those subpatches. We numerically simulate the polarization field modulated as a whole patchwork and apply a suite of lensing analyses to reveal the response of the reconstructed gravitational lensing potential and delensing efficiency. At systematic error levels expected in the near future, we find that it is possible to reconstruct the lensing potential accurately on scales larger than the subpatch size and that there is no severe degradation of the lensing B -mode removal efficiency in the subsequent delensing analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a simple geometric optics analog of a gravitational lens with a refractive index equal to one at large distances and scaling like n (r) 2 = 1 + C 2 / r 2 , where C is a constant. We obtain the equation for ray trajectories from Fermat's principle of least time and the Euler equation. Our model yields a very simple ray trajectory equation. The optical rays bending, reflecting, and looping around the lens are all described by a single trigonometric function in polar coordinates. Optical rays experiencing fatal attraction are described by a hyperbolic function. We use our model to illustrate the formation of Einstein rings and multiple images. Editor's Note: This article describes a simple theoretical model for gravitational lensing. The authors analyze a graded index of refraction that reproduces the behavior for light passing near the event horizon of a black hole. The mathematical simplicity of the model permits exploration of the effects of gravitational lensing—including bending, reflection, and the formation of Einstein rings—using only integral calculus and Fermat's principle. The authors illustrate many interesting lensing phenomena with 2D and 3D graphics. The model described in this paper could be introduced as a "theoretical toy model" to complement classroom demonstrations of gravitational lensing such as a "logarithmic lens" or the stem of a wine glass, making gravitational lensing and its use in modern astrophysics accessible to introductory physics students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theory of tachyon neutrinos, providing an explanation for Dark Matter, leads to two sets of experiments for testing that theory. One predicts an enhanced signal in detection of the Cosmic Neutrino Background. The other compares models of Dark Matter used to fit data on galaxy rotation curves and also gravitational lensing. This paper starts with a semi-review of the previous theoretical work. One sees new symmetries in comparing the theory of tachyons to that of ordinary particles. In addition, we present a debunking of the false claim that tachyons would produce a causal paradox; and an apparent contradiction within the new theory, related to Dark Energy, is identified and addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]