5 research outputs found
SN Zwicky: uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified "standard candles"
We report the discovery of a very rare phenomenon, a multiply-imaged
gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia), "SN Zwicky", a.k.a. SN
2022qmx, magnified nearly twenty-five times by a foreground galaxy. The system
was identified as intrinsically bright thanks to the "standard candle" nature
of SNe Ia. Observations with high-spatial resolution instruments resolved a
system with four nearly simultaneous images, with an Einstein radius of only
, corresponding to a lens mass of solar masses
within a physical size below kiloparsecs. A smooth lens model fails to
reproduce the image flux ratios, suggesting significant additional
magnification from compact objects. Given the small image splitting and a
relatively faint deflecting galaxy, the lensing system would not have been
found through the angular separation technique generally used in large imaging
surveys
SN Zwicky: uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified "standard candles"
International audienceWe report the discovery of a very rare phenomenon, a multiply-imaged gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia), "SN Zwicky", a.k.a. SN 2022qmx, magnified nearly twenty-five times by a foreground galaxy. The system was identified as intrinsically bright thanks to the "standard candle" nature of SNe Ia. Observations with high-spatial resolution instruments resolved a system with four nearly simultaneous images, with an Einstein radius of only , corresponding to a lens mass of solar masses within a physical size below kiloparsecs. A smooth lens model fails to reproduce the image flux ratios, suggesting significant additional magnification from compact objects. Given the small image splitting and a relatively faint deflecting galaxy, the lensing system would not have been found through the angular separation technique generally used in large imaging surveys
SN Zwicky: uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified "standard candles"
International audienceWe report the discovery of a very rare phenomenon, a multiply-imaged gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia), "SN Zwicky", a.k.a. SN 2022qmx, magnified nearly twenty-five times by a foreground galaxy. The system was identified as intrinsically bright thanks to the "standard candle" nature of SNe Ia. Observations with high-spatial resolution instruments resolved a system with four nearly simultaneous images, with an Einstein radius of only , corresponding to a lens mass of solar masses within a physical size below kiloparsecs. A smooth lens model fails to reproduce the image flux ratios, suggesting significant additional magnification from compact objects. Given the small image splitting and a relatively faint deflecting galaxy, the lensing system would not have been found through the angular separation technique generally used in large imaging surveys
Recommended from our members
Uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified standard candle SN Zwicky.
Detecting gravitationally lensed supernovae is among the biggest challenges in astronomy. It involves a combination of two very rare phenomena: catching the transient signal of a stellar explosion in a distant galaxy and observing it through a nearly perfectly aligned foreground galaxy that deflects light towards the observer. Here we describe how high-cadence optical observations with the Zwicky Transient Facility, with its unparalleled large field of view, led to the detection of a multiply imaged type Ia supernova, SN Zwicky, also known as SN 2022qmx. Magnified nearly 25-fold, the system was found thanks to the standard candle nature of type Ia supernovae. High-spatial-resolution imaging with the Keck telescope resolved four images of the supernova with very small angular separation, corresponding to an Einstein radius of only θE = 0.167″ and almost identical arrival times. The small θE and faintness of the lensing galaxy are very unusual, highlighting the importance of supernovae to fully characterize the properties of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses, including the impact of galaxy substructures
Recommended from our members
Uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified standard candle SN Zwicky.
Detecting gravitationally lensed supernovae is among the biggest challenges in astronomy. It involves a combination of two very rare phenomena: catching the transient signal of a stellar explosion in a distant galaxy and observing it through a nearly perfectly aligned foreground galaxy that deflects light towards the observer. Here we describe how high-cadence optical observations with the Zwicky Transient Facility, with its unparalleled large field of view, led to the detection of a multiply imaged type Ia supernova, SN Zwicky, also known as SN 2022qmx. Magnified nearly 25-fold, the system was found thanks to the standard candle nature of type Ia supernovae. High-spatial-resolution imaging with the Keck telescope resolved four images of the supernova with very small angular separation, corresponding to an Einstein radius of only θE = 0.167″ and almost identical arrival times. The small θE and faintness of the lensing galaxy are very unusual, highlighting the importance of supernovae to fully characterize the properties of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses, including the impact of galaxy substructures