The COSMOS-Web ring: Spectroscopic confirmation of the background source at z = 5.1
Abstract
We report the spectroscopic confirmation of the background source of the most distant Einstein ring known to date, the COSMOS-Web ring. This system consists of a complete Einstein ring at , lensed by a massive early-type galaxy at . The redshift is unambiguously identified with our NOEMA and Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy, where the NOEMA observations reveal the CO(4-3) and CO(5-4) lines at , and the MOSFIRE data detect [O\textsc{ii}] at . Using multi-wavelength photometry spanning near-infrared to radio bands, we find that the lensed galaxy is a dust-obscured starburst (, ) with high star-formation efficiency (gas depletion time Myr) as indicated by the [C\textsc{i}](1-0) non-detection. The redshift confirmation revalidates that the total lens mass budget within the Einstein radius is fully accounted for by the stellar and dark matter components, without the need of modifying the initial mass function or dark matter distribution profile. This work paves the way for detailed studies and future follow-ups of this unique lensing system, providing an ideal laboratory for studying mass distribution at and physical conditions of star formation at .
Cite
@article{arxiv.2502.20136,
title = {The COSMOS-Web ring: Spectroscopic confirmation of the background source at z = 5.1},
author = {Marko Shuntov and Shuowen Jin and Wilfried Mercier and S. Jeyhan Kartaltepe and Rebecca Larson and Ali Ahmad Khostovan and Raphaël Gavazzi and W. James Nightingale and Olivier Ilbert and Rafael Arango-Toro and Maximilien Franco and B. Hollis Akins and M. Caitlin Casey and Henry Joy McCracken and Laure Ciesla and E. Georgios Magdis and Aristeidis Amvrosiadis and Andrea Enia and L. Andreas Faisst and M. Anton Koekemoer and Clotilde Laigle and Damien Le Borgne and Richard Massey and Thibaud Moutard and Mattia Vaccari},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.20136},
year = {2025}
}