No Arabic abstract
We present the discovery of a new gravitational lens system with two compact radio images separated by 0.701+-0.001 arcsec. The lens system was discovered in the Cosmic Lens All Sky Survey (CLASS) as a flat spectrum radio source. Both radio components show structure in a VLBA 8.4 GHz radio image. No further extended structure is seen in either the VLA, MERLIN or VLBA images. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 images in F555W and F814W show two extended objects close to the radio components, which we identify as two lens galaxies. Their colours and mass-to-light ratios seem to favour two late-type spiral galaxies at relatively high redshifts (z_d>~0.5). Faint emission is also detected at positions corresponding to the radio images. A two-lens mass model can explain the observed VLBA structure. The best fit model has a reduced chi^2 of 1.1. The relative positions of the VLBA subcomponents are reproduced within 0.08 mas, the flux density ratios within 0.19. We also reproduce the position angle and separation of the two VLBA subcomponents in A and B within the observational errors, which we consider strong evidence for the validity of the lens model. Moreover, we find a surface density axis ratio of 0.74^{+0.10}_{-0.12} for the primary lens (G1), consistent with the surface brightness axis ratio of 0.69+-0.15. Also, the surface density position angle of 4.9^{+28.2}_{-22.4} degree of G1 compares well with the -6+-13 degree position angle of the surface brightness distribution. The errors indicate the 99 per cent confidence interval.
We report the discovery of a new gravitational lens system from the CLASS survey. Radio observations with the VLA, the WSRT and MERLIN show that the radio source B0850+054 is comprised of two compact components with identical spectra, a separation of 0.7 arcsec and a flux density ratio of 6:1. VLBA observations at 5 GHz reveal structures that are consistent with the gravitational lens hypothesis. The brighter of the two images is resolved into a linear string of at least six sub-components whilst the weaker image is radially stretched towards the lens galaxy. UKIRT K-band imaging detects an 18.7 mag extended object, but the resolution of the observations is not sufficient to resolve the lensed images and the lens galaxy. Mass modelling has not been possible with the present data and the acquisition of high-resolution optical data is a priority for this system.
High resolution MERLIN observations of a newly-discovered four-image gravitational lens system, B0128+437, are presented. The system was found after a careful re-analysis of the entire CLASS dataset. The MERLIN observations resolve four components in a characteristic quadruple-image configuration; the maximum image separation is 542 mas and the total flux density is 48 mJy at 5 GHz. A best-fit lens model with a singular isothermal ellipsoid results in large errors in the image positions. A significantly improved fit is obtained after the addition of a shear component, suggesting that the lensing system is more complex and may consist of multiple deflectors. The integrated radio spectrum of the background source indicates that it is a GigaHertz-Peaked Spectrum (GPS) source. It may therefore be possible to resolve structure within the radio images with deep VLBI observations and thus better constrain the lensing mass distribution.
We present the discovery of CLASS B0739+366, a new gravitational lens system from the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey. Radio imaging of the source with the Very Large Array (VLA) shows two compact components separated by $0farcs54$, with a flux density ratio of $sim$ 6:1. High-resolution follow-up observations using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 1.7 GHz detect weak, parity-reversed jet emission from each of the radio components. Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS F160W observations detect infrared counterparts to the lensed images, as well as an extended object between them which we identify as the lensing galaxy. Redshifts for the galaxy and lensed source have not yet been obtained. For typical lens and source redshifts of $z=0.5$ and $z=1.5$, respectively, preliminary mass modeling predicts a time delay of $sim7h^{-1}$ days in a flat $Omega_{M}=1.0$ universe. The small predicted time delay and weak radio components will make CLASS B0739+366 a challenging target for Hubble constant determination.
A new two-image gravitational lens system has been discovered as a result of the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (CLASS). Radio observations with the VLA, MERLIN and the VLBA at increasingly higher resolutions all show two components with a flux density ratio of ~7:1 and a separation of 1.34. Both components are compact and have the same spectral index. Followup observations made with the VLA at 8.4 GHz show evidence of a feature to the south-east of the brighter component and a corresponding extension of the weaker component to the north-west. Optical observations with the WHT show ~1.7 extended emission aligned in approximately the same direction as the separation between the radio components with an R-band magnitude of 21.8 +/- 0.4.
We present observations of CLASS B2108+213, the widest separation gravitational lens system discovered by the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey. Radio imaging using the VLA at 8.46 GHz and MERLIN at 5 GHz shows two compact components separated by 4.56 arcsec with a faint third component in between which we believe is emission from a lensing galaxy. 5-GHz VLBA observations reveal milliarcsecond-scale structure in the two lensed images that is consistent with gravitational lensing. Optical emission from the two lensed images and two lensing galaxies within the Einstein radius is detected in Hubble Space Telescope imaging. Furthermore, an optical gravitational arc, associated with the strongest lensed component, has been detected. Surrounding the system are a number of faint galaxies which may help explain the wide image separation. A plausible mass distribution model for CLASS B2108+213 is also presented.