X‐Ray and Optical Flux Ratio Anomalies in Quadruply Lensed Quasars. I. Zooming in on Quasar Emission Regions

X-ray and optical observations of quadruply lensed quasars can provide a microarcsecond probe of the lensed quasar, corresponding to scale sizes of \~10^2-10^4 gravitational radii of the central black hole. This high angular resolution is achieved by taking advantage of microlensing by stars in the lensing galaxy. In this paper we utilize X-ray observations of ten lensed quasars recorded with the Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as corresponding optical data obtained with either the Hubble Space Telescope or ground-based optical telescopes. These are analyzed in a systematic and uniform way with emphasis on the flux-ratio anomalies that are found relative to the predictions of smooth lens models. A comparison of the flux ratio anomalies between the X-ray and optical bands allows us to conclude that the optical emission regions of the lensed quasars are typically larger than expected from basic thin disk models by factors of ~3-30.
11 pages, accepted to ApJ, expanded discussion of the analysis of the flux ratios and how they constrain the quasar emission regions