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Published April 2012 | Version Published
Journal Article Open

Three quasi-stellar objects acting as strong gravitational lenses

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • 2. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 3. ROR icon King Abdulaziz University
  • 4. ROR icon Jet Propulsion Lab
  • 5. ROR icon NOIRLab
  • 6. ROR icon University of Maryland, College Park
  • 7. ROR icon Heidelberg University
  • 8. ROR icon University of Bonn

Abstract

We report the discovery of three new cases of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) acting as strong gravitational lenses on background emission line galaxies: SDSS J0827+5224 (z_(QSO) = 0.293, z_s = 0.412), SDSS J0919+2720 (z_(QSO) = 0.209, z_s = 0.558), SDSS J1005+4016 (z_(QSO) = 0.230, z_s = 0.441). The selection was carried out using a sample of 22,298 SDSS spectra displaying at least four emission lines at a redshift beyond that of the foreground QSO. The lensing nature is confirmed from Keck imaging and spectroscopy, as well as from HST/WFC3 imaging in the F475W and F814W filters. Two of the QSOs have face-on spiral host galaxies and the third is a QSO+galaxy pair. The velocity dispersion of the host galaxies, inferred from simple lens modeling, is between σ = 210 and 285 km s^(-1), making these host galaxies comparable in mass with the SLACS sample of early-type strong lenses.

Additional Information

© 2012 ESO. Received 5 September 2011. Accepted 21 October 2011. Published online 22 March 2012. Based on data obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. Also based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program #GO12233. This study is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). S.G.D. and A.A.M. acknowledge a partial support from the NASA grant HST-GO-12233.01-A, the NSF grant AST-0909182, and the Ajax Foundation. The work of D. Stern was carried out at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. D. Sluse acknowledges partial support from the German Virtual Observatory and from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, reference SL172/1-1. This work makes use of the data collected by the SDSS collaboration and released in DR7. Funding for the SDSS and SDSS-II has been provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Participating Institutions, the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Japanese Monbukagakusho, theMax Planck Society, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The SDSSWeb Site is http:// www.sdss.org/. The SDSS is managed by the Astrophysical Research Consortium for the Participating Institutions. The Participating Institutions are the American Museum of Natural History, Astrophysical Institute Potsdam, University of Basel, University of Cambridge, Case Western Reserve University, University of Chicago, Drexel University, Fermilab, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Japan Participation Group, Johns Hopkins University, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, the Korean Scientist Group, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (LAMOST), Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), the Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), New Mexico State University, Ohio State University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Portsmouth, Princeton University, the United States Naval Observatory, and the University of Washington.

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Additional details

Identifiers

Eprint ID
31685
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20120529-152642299

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
NASA
HST-GO-12233.01-A
NSF
AST-0909182
Ajax Foundation
NASA/JPL/Caltech
German Virtual Observatory
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
SL 172/1-1
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Department of Energy (DOE)
Japanese Monbukagakusho
Max Planck Society
Higher Education Funding Council for England
American Museum of Natural History
Astrophysical Institute Potsdam
University of Basel
University of Cambridge
Case Western Reserve University
University of Chicago
Drexel University
Fermilab
Institute for Advanced Study
Japan Participation Group
Johns Hopkins University
Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Korean Scientist Group
Chinese Academy of Sciences (LAMOST)
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA)
Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA)
New Mexico State University
Ohio State University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Portsmouth
Princeton University
United States Naval Observatory
University of Washington

Dates

Created
2012-05-29
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Updated
2021-11-09
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Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)