Related papers: Cluster-galaxy weak lensing
The measurement of the integrated optical polarization of weakly gravitationally lensed galaxies can provide considerable constraints on lens models. The method outlined depends on fact that the orientation of the direction of optical…
Weak gravitational lensing observations of galaxy clusters are sensitive to all mass along the line-of-sight, introducing systematic and additional statistical uncertainties due to intervening structures. We quantify their impact on the…
Current efforts in observational cosmology are focused on characterizing the mass-energy content of the Universe. We present results from a geometric test based on strong lensing in galaxy clusters. Based on Hubble Space Telescope images…
We present the results of a weak lensing survey of six high-redshift (z > 0.5), X-ray selected clusters of galaxies. We have obtained ultra-deep R-band images of each cluster with the Keck Telescope, and have measured a weak lensing signal…
We present the first results of a MOS campaign to follow up cluster candidates located via weak lensing. Our main goals are to search for spatial concentrations of galaxies that are plausible optical counterparts of the weak lensing…
The microlensing of background stars by compact objects in globular clusters is analyzed. The main strength of the proposed search is the direct relationship between the lens mass and the time scale of the microlensing event. The main…
Simple analytic arguments are used to understand the predominantly filamentary web in the large-scale distribution of galaxies. Numerical simulations of superclusters are performed to assess the feasibility of directly mapping the…
Gravitational lensing allows us to probe the structure of matter on a broad range of astronomical scales, and as light from a distant source traverses an intervening galaxy, compact matter such as planets, stars, and black holes act as…
I show how weak gravitational lensing can be used to image the 3-D mass distribution in the Universe. An inverse relation to the lensing equation, relating the lensing potential evaluated at each source to the full 3-D Newtonian potential,…
Gravitational lensing provides a unique probe of the inner 10-1000 pc of distant galaxies (z=0.2-1). Lens theory predicts that every strong lens system should have a faint image near the center of the lens galaxy, which should be visible in…
We present an efficient and robust approach for extracting clusters of galaxies from weak lensing survey data and measuring their properties. We use simple, physically-motivated cluster models appropriate for such sparse, noisy data, and…
Weak gravitational lensing allows one to reconstruct the spatial distribution of the projected mass density across the sky. These "mass maps" provide a powerful tool for studying cosmology as they probe both luminous and dark matter. In…
Strong gravitational lenses provide unique laboratories for cosmological and astrophysical investigations, but they must first be discovered - a task that can be met with significant contamination by other astrophysical objects and…
We examine whether a cosmologically significant distribution of dark galaxy group or cluster-sized objects can have an optical depth for multiple imaging of distant background sources which is comparable to that from known galaxies while at…
Strong gravitational lensing offers a powerful probe of the detailed distribution of matter in lenses, while magnifying and bringing faint background sources into view. Observed strong lensing by massive galaxy clusters, which are often in…
There are only two methods for estimating the mass distribution in the outer regions of galaxy clusters, where virial equilibrium does not hold: weak gravitational lensing and identification of caustics in redshift space. For the first…
Weak gravitational lensing provides a direct way to study the mass distribution of clusters of galaxies at large radii. Unfortunately, large scale structure along the line of sight also contributes to the lensing signal, and consequently…
In these lectures I give an overview of gravitational lensing, concentrating on theoretical aspects, including derivations of some of the important results. Topics covered include the determination of surface mass densities of intervening…
Weak gravitational lensing is a promising tool for the study of the mass distribution in the Universe. Here we report some partial results that show how lensing maps can be used to differentiate between cosmological models. We pay special…
Lensing in the context of rich clusters is normally quantified from small image distortions, yielding a relative mass distribution in the limit of weak lensing. Here we show the magnification effect of lensing can also be mapped over a…