3,124 research outputs found
A determination of H_0 with the CLASS gravitational lens B1608+656: II. Mass models and the Hubble constant from lensing
EDITED FROM PAPER: We present mass models of the four-image gravitational
lens system B1608+656. A mass model for the lens galaxies has been determined
that reproduces the image positions, two out of three flux-density ratios and
the model time delays.
Using the time delays determined by Fassnacht et al. (1999a), we find that
the best isothermal mass model gives H_0=59^{+7}_{-6} km/s/Mpc for Omega_m=1
and Omega_l=0.0, or H_0=(65-63)^{+7}_{-6} km/s/Mpc for Omega_m=0.3 and Omega_l
= 0.0-0.7 (95.4% statistical confidence). A systematic error of +/-15 km/s/Mpc
is estimated.
This cosmological determination of H_0 agrees well with determinations from
three other gravitational lens systems (i.e. B0218+357, Q0957+561 and
PKS1830-211), SNe Ia, the S-Z effect and local determinations. The current
agreement on H_0 from four out of five gravitational lens systems (i)
emphasizes the reliability of its determination from isolated gravitational
lens systems and (ii) suggests that a close-to-isothermal mass profile can
describe disk galaxies, ellipticals and central cluster ellipticals.
The average of H_0 from B0218+357, Q0957+561, B1608+656 and PKS1830-211,
gives H_0(GL)=69 +/-7 km/s/Mpc for a flat universe with Omega_m=1 or H_0(GL)=74
+/-8 km/s/Mpc for Omega_m=0.3 and Omega_l=0.0-0.7. When including PG1115+080,
these values decrease to 64 +/-11 km/s/Mpc and 68 +/-13 km/s/Mpc (2-sigma
errors), respectively.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 34 pages, 4 figure
Dissecting the Gravitational Lens B1608+656. II. Precision Measurements of the Hubble Constant, Spatial Curvature, and the Dark Energy Equation of State
Strong gravitational lens systems with measured time delays between the
multiple images provide a method for measuring the "time-delay distance" to the
lens, and thus the Hubble constant. We present a Bayesian analysis of the
strong gravitational lens system B1608+656, incorporating (i) new, deep Hubble
Space Telescope (HST) observations, (ii) a new velocity dispersion measurement
of 260+/-15 km/s for the primary lens galaxy, and (iii) an updated study of the
lens' environment. When modeling the stellar dynamics of the primary lens
galaxy, the lensing effect, and the environment of the lens, we explicitly
include the total mass distribution profile logarithmic slope gamma' and the
external convergence kappa_ext; we marginalize over these parameters, assigning
well-motivated priors for them, and so turn the major systematic errors into
statistical ones. The HST images provide one such prior, constraining the lens
mass density profile logarithmic slope to be gamma'=2.08+/-0.03; a combination
of numerical simulations and photometric observations of the B1608+656 field
provides an estimate of the prior for kappa_ext: 0.10 +0.08/-0.05. This latter
distribution dominates the final uncertainty on H_0. Compared with previous
work on this system, the new data provide an increase in precision of more than
a factor of two. In combination with the WMAP 5-year data set, we find that the
B1608+656 data set constrains the curvature parameter to be -0.031 < Omega_k <
0.009 (95% CL), a level of precision comparable to that afforded by the current
Type Ia SNe sample. Asserting a flat spatial geometry, we find that, in
combination with WMAP, H_0 = 69.7 +4.9/-5.0 km/s/Mpc and w=-0.94 +0.17/-0.19
(68% CL), suggesting that the observations of B1608+656 constrain w as tightly
as do the current Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data. (abridged)Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, revisions based on referee's comments, accepted
for publication in Ap
The Environments of Low and High Luminosity Radio Galaxies at Moderate Redshifts
In the local Universe, high-power radio galaxies live in lower density
environments than low-luminosity radio galaxies. If this trend continues to
higher redshifts, powerful radio galaxies would serve as efficient probes of
moderate redshift groups and poor clusters. Photometric studies of radio
galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.5 suggest that the radio luminosity-environment
correlation disappears at moderate redshifts, though this could be the result
of foreground/background contamination affecting the photometric measures of
environment. We have obtained multi-object spectroscopy of in the fields of 14
lower luminosity (L_1.4GHz
1.2x10^25 W/Hz) radio galaxies at z ~ 0.3 to spectroscopically investigate the
link between the environment and the radio luminosity of radio galaxies at
moderate redshifts. Our results support the photometric analyses; there does
not appear to be a correlation between the luminosity of a radio galaxy and its
environment at moderate redshifts. Hence, radio galaxies are not efficient
signposts for group environments at moderate redshifts.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in A
Sub-milliarcsec-scale structure of the gravitational lens B1600+434
In the gravitational lens system B1600+434 the brighter image, A, is known to
show rapid variability which is not detected in the weaker image, B (Koopmans &
de Bruyn 2000). Since correlated variability is one of the fundamental
properties of gravitational lensing, it has been proposed that image A is
microlensed by stars in the halo of the lensing galaxy (Koopmans & de Bruyn
2000). We present VLBA observations of B1600+434 at 15 GHz with a resolution of
0.5 milliarcsec to determine the source structure at high spatial resolution.
The surface brightness of the images are significantly different, with image A
being more compact. This is in apparent contradiction with the required
property of gravitational lensing that surface brightness be preserved. Our
results suggest that both the lensed images may show two-sided elongation at
this resolution, a morphology which does not necessarily favour superluminal
motion. Instead these data may suggest that image B is scatter-broadened at the
lens so that its size is larger than that of A, and hence scintillates less
than image A.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted in AA Letter
Flux-ratio anomalies from discs and other baryonic structures in the Illustris simulation
The flux ratios in the multiple images of gravitationally lensed quasars can
provide evidence for dark matter substructure in the halo of the lensing galaxy
if the flux ratios differ from those predicted by a smooth model of the lensing
galaxy mass distribution. However, it is also possible that baryonic structures
in the lensing galaxy, such as edge-on discs, can produce flux-ratio anomalies.
In this work, we present the first statistical analysis of flux-ratio anomalies
due to baryons from a numerical simulation perspective. We select galaxies with
various morphological types in the Illustris simulation and ray-trace through
the simulated halos, which include baryons in the main lensing galaxies but
exclude any substructures, in order to explore the pure baryonic effects. Our
ray-tracing results show that the baryonic components can be a major
contribution to the flux-ratio anomalies in lensed quasars and that edge-on
disc lenses induce the strongest anomalies. We find that the baryonic
components increase the probability of finding high flux-ratio anomalies in the
early-type lenses by about 8% and by about 10 - 20% in the disc lenses. The
baryonic effects also induce astrometric anomalies in 13% of the mock lenses.
Our results indicate that the morphology of the lens galaxy becomes important
in the analysis of flux-ratio anomalies when considering the effect of baryons,
and that the presence of baryons may also partially explain the discrepancy
between the observed (high) anomaly frequency and what is expected due to the
presence of subhalos as predicted by the CDM simulations.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, accepted by MNRA
What drives basin scale spatial variability of snowpack properties in northern Colorado?
This study uses a combination of field measurements and Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS) operational snow data to understand the drivers
of snow density and snow water equivalent (SWE) variability at the basin
scale (100s to 1000s km<sup>2</sup>). Historic snow course snowpack density
observations were analyzed within a multiple linear regression snow density
model to estimate SWE directly from snow depth measurements. Snow surveys
were completed on or about 1 April 2011 and 2012 and combined with NRCS
operational measurements to investigate the spatial variability of SWE near
peak snow accumulation. Bivariate relations and multiple linear regression
models were developed to understand the relation of snow density and SWE
with terrain variables (derived using a geographic information system
(GIS)). Snow density variability was best explained by day of year, snow
depth, UTM Easting, and elevation. Calculation of SWE directly from snow
depth measurement using the snow density model has strong statistical
performance, and model validation suggests the model is transferable to
independent data within the bounds of the original data set. This pathway of
estimating SWE directly from snow depth measurement is useful when
evaluating snowpack properties at the basin scale, where many time-consuming
measurements of SWE are often not feasible. A comparison with a previously
developed snow density model shows that calibrating a snow density model to
a specific basin can provide improvement of SWE estimation at this scale, and
should be considered for future basin scale analyses. During both water year
(WY) 2011 and 2012, elevation and location (UTM Easting and/or UTM Northing)
were the most important SWE model variables, suggesting that orographic
precipitation and storm track patterns are likely driving basin scale SWE
variability. Terrain curvature was also shown to be an important variable,
but to a lesser extent at the scale of interest
Snow depth measurement via time lapse photography and automated image recognition
January 2019.Includes bibliographical references.Seasonal snow is a crucial component of water supply in Colorado and the western United States. Measurement of snow accumulation through the winter and spring allows water managers to forecast water supply for the growing season and take actions to ease flooding and drought. The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) snow telemetry (SNOTEL) network provides real-time data at a high cost per station and at single points. An evaluation of existing field measurements of snow depth taken in 2009 and 2010 was undertaken to determine if fine resolution depth measurements are justified. Fassnacht et al. (in press) showed that the snow depth variability can be substantial even at fine resolution. However, these data required extensive labor to collect and only represented one measurement in time. A low-cost method to measure snow variability around these stations or in underrepresented areas could improve snow forecasts by quantifying the representativeness of data from the current network. To this end, we trialed a method combining time lapse photography and computer vision techniques to find snow depth at five sites in Colorado during water year 2018. Different site configurations were trialed, and a best operating procedure was determined. The data gathered were not more accurate than current ultrasonic or laser snow depth measurement technologies. However, the low cost and versatility of this method may make it more applicable in certain situations
Enhanced lensing rate by clustering of massive galaxies: newly discovered systems in the SLACS fields
[Abridged] We exploit the clustering of massive galaxies to perform a high
efficiency imaging search for gravitational lenses. Our dataset comprises 44
fields imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys
(ACS), each of which is centered on a lens discovered by the Strong Lens ACS
Survey (SLACS). We compare four different search methods: 1) automated
detection with the HST Archive Galaxy-scale Gravitational Lens Survey (HAGGLeS)
robot, 2) examining cutout images of bright galaxies (BGs) after subtraction of
a smooth galaxy light distribution, 3) examining the unsubtracted BG cutouts,
and 4) performing a full-frame visual inspection of the ACS images. We compute
purity and completeness and consider investigator time for the four algorithms,
using the main SLACS lenses as a testbed. The first and second algorithms
perform the best. We present the four new lens systems discovered during this
comprehensive search, as well as one other likely candidate. For each new lens
we use the fundamental plane to estimate the lens velocity dispersion and
predict, from the resulting lens geometry, the redshifts of the lensed sources.
Two of these new systems are found in galaxy clusters, which include the SLACS
lenses in the two respective fields. Overall we find that the enhanced lens
abundance (30^{+24}_{-8} lenses/degree^2) is higher than expected for random
fields (12^{+4}_{-2} lenses/degree^2 for the COSMOS survey). Additionally, we
find that the gravitational lenses we detect are qualitatively different from
those in the parent SLACS sample: this imaging survey is largely probing
higher-redshift, and lower-mass, early-type galaxies.Comment: submitted to ApJ; 19 pages, 12 figure
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