Related papers: Determining the fraction of compact objects in the…
We study the dependence of the peak luminosity of Type Ia supernovae on the fine structure constant $\alpha$. We find that decreasing (increasing) $\alpha$ enhances (reduces) the luminosity. Future experiments like SNAP could determine the…
Extreme magnifications of distant objects by factors of several thousand have recently become a reality. Small very luminous compact objects, such as supernovae (SNe), giant stars at z=1-2, Pop III stars at z>7 and even gravitational waves…
During the last century many observations have been made to peep into the dark matter in the universe and many astonishing behaviors of Galaxy clusters have been found which do not fit to any theories formulated before. However, Optical…
We investigate the possibility of determining the mass distribution of a gravitational lens via lensing observations. We consider an extended, compact gravitational lens, representing its static external gravitational potential via an…
The extreme conditions found near black holes and neutron stars provide a unique opportunity for testing physical theories. Observations of both types of compact objects can be used to probe regions of strong gravity, allowing for tests of…
The observed brightness of Type Ia supernovae is affected by gravitational lensing caused by the mass distribution along the line of sight, which introduces an additional dispersion into the Hubble diagram. We look for evidence of lensing…
The possible time variation of the fundamental constants of nature has been an active subject of research since the large-number hypothesis was proposed by Dirac. In this paper, we propose a new method to investigate a possible time…
Scattering and absorption of light by a homogeneous distribution of intergalactic large dust grains has been proposed as an alternative, non-cosmological explanation for the faintness of Type Ia supernovae at $z\s im 0.5$. We investigate…
Gravitational lensing is an invaluable probe of the nature of dark matter, and the structures it forms. Lensed gravitational waves in particular allow for unparalleled sensitivity to small scale structures within the lenses, due to the…
It is not straightforward to determine the distribution of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Galaxy. The two main difficulties are that there are observational selection effects that mean that catalogues of SNRs are incomplete, and distances…
Detecting a compact subsolar object would have profound implications in physics, the reach of which depends on the nature of the object. Here we explore such consequences for a putative subsolar-mass gravitational wave event detected by the…
Distant supernovae can now be detected routinely. To date 34 supernovae at $z > 0.1$ have been discovered. Among them are 12 Type~Ia supernovae confirmed spectroscopically and suited to measure the cosmic deceleration when appropriately…
Gravitational lensing is a powerful astrophysical and cosmological probe and is particularly valuable at submillimeter wavelengths for the study of the statistical and individual properties of dusty starforming galaxies. However the…
Weak gravitational lensing seeks to determine shear by measuring induced quadrupole (elliptical) shapes in background galaxy images. Small impact parameter (a few kpc) gravitational lensing by foreground core masses between 2 10^{9} and 2…
Distortions of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization maps caused by gravitational lensing, observable with high angular resolution and high sensitivity, can be used to measure the neutrino mass. Assuming two…
Gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernovae are an emerging probe with great potential for constraining dark energy, spatial curvature, and the Hubble constant. The multiple images and their time delayed and magnified fluxes may be…
The relative transverse velocity of a lens with respect to the source star in gravitational lensing results in a frequency shift in the light rays passing by a lens. We propose using this relativistic effect for measuring the relative…
This paper exploits the gravitational magnification of SNe Ia to measure properties of dark matter haloes. The magnification of individual SNe Ia can be computed using observed properties of foreground galaxies and dark matter halo models.…
Many high velocity HI clouds (HVCs) are now believed to be scattered throughout the Galactic halo on scales of tens of kiloparsecs. Some of these clouds appear to contain substantial HI masses (>10^6 Msun). It has been suggested that these…
We investigate the ability of ground based gravitational wave observatories to detect gravitational wave lensing events caused by stellar mass lenses. We show that LIGO and Virgo possess the sensitivities required to detect lenses with…