Work

Is there a quad problem among optical gravitational lenses?

Year: 2007

Type: article

Abstract: Most of the optical gravitational lenses recently discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Lens Search (SQLS) have two-images rather than four-images, in marked contrast to radio lenses for which the fraction of four-image lenses (quad fraction) is quite high. We revisit the quad fraction among optical lenses by taking the selection function of the SQLS into account. We find that the current observed quad fraction in the SQLS is indeed lower than, but consistent with, the prediction of our theoretical model. The low quad fraction among optical lenses, together with the high quad fraction among radio lenses, implies that the quasar optical luminosity function has a relatively shallow faint end slope.

Source: New Journal of Physics

DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/9/12/442

Author: Masamune Oguri

Institutions: Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,610

Funder: U.S. Department of Energy