Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey
Radio observations of strongly lensed objects are valuable as cosmological probes. Lensed radio sources have proven difficult to identify, in large part due to the limited depth and angular resolution of the previous generation of radio sky surveys, and, as such, only a few dozen lensed radio source...
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| Format: | Article |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9c37 |
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| author | Michael N. Martinez Yjan A. Gordon Keith Bechtol Gillian Cartwright Peter S. Ferguson Miranda Gorsuch |
| author_facet | Michael N. Martinez Yjan A. Gordon Keith Bechtol Gillian Cartwright Peter S. Ferguson Miranda Gorsuch |
| author_sort | Michael N. Martinez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Radio observations of strongly lensed objects are valuable as cosmological probes. Lensed radio sources have proven difficult to identify, in large part due to the limited depth and angular resolution of the previous generation of radio sky surveys, and, as such, only a few dozen lensed radio sources are known. In this work, we present the results of a pilot study, using the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) in combination with optical data to more efficiently identify lensed radio sources. We obtain high-resolution (0 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x02033}}$ 2) VLA follow-up observations for 11 targets that we identify using three different techniques: (i) a search for compact radio sources offset from galaxies with high lensing potential, (ii) VLASS detections of known lensed galaxies, and (iii) VLASS detections of known lensed quasars. Five of our targets show radio emission from the lensed images, including 100% of the lensed optical quasar systems. This work demonstrates the efficacy of combining deep- and high-resolution wide-area radio and optical survey data to efficiently find lensed radio sources, and we discuss the potential impact of such an approach using next-generation surveys with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Euclid, and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5fc5344248f3422aa229e36ecebb9718 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-5fc5344248f3422aa229e36ecebb97182025-01-22T08:35:59ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01979213210.3847/1538-4357/ad9c37Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky SurveyMichael N. Martinez0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8397-8412Yjan A. Gordon1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1432-253XKeith Bechtol2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8156-0429Gillian Cartwright3https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7030-9948Peter S. Ferguson4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6957-1627Miranda Gorsuch5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3135-3824Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison , 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA ; mnmartinez@wisc.eduDepartment of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison , 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA ; mnmartinez@wisc.eduDepartment of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison , 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA ; mnmartinez@wisc.eduDepartment of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison , 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA ; mnmartinez@wisc.eduDepartment of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison , 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA ; mnmartinez@wisc.eduDepartment of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison , 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA ; mnmartinez@wisc.eduRadio observations of strongly lensed objects are valuable as cosmological probes. Lensed radio sources have proven difficult to identify, in large part due to the limited depth and angular resolution of the previous generation of radio sky surveys, and, as such, only a few dozen lensed radio sources are known. In this work, we present the results of a pilot study, using the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) in combination with optical data to more efficiently identify lensed radio sources. We obtain high-resolution (0 $\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x02033}}$ 2) VLA follow-up observations for 11 targets that we identify using three different techniques: (i) a search for compact radio sources offset from galaxies with high lensing potential, (ii) VLASS detections of known lensed galaxies, and (iii) VLASS detections of known lensed quasars. Five of our targets show radio emission from the lensed images, including 100% of the lensed optical quasar systems. This work demonstrates the efficacy of combining deep- and high-resolution wide-area radio and optical survey data to efficiently find lensed radio sources, and we discuss the potential impact of such an approach using next-generation surveys with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Euclid, and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9c37Strong gravitational lensingRadio active galactic nucleiGalaxy dark matter halosSurveys |
| spellingShingle | Michael N. Martinez Yjan A. Gordon Keith Bechtol Gillian Cartwright Peter S. Ferguson Miranda Gorsuch Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey The Astrophysical Journal Strong gravitational lensing Radio active galactic nuclei Galaxy dark matter halos Surveys |
| title | Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey |
| title_full | Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey |
| title_fullStr | Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey |
| title_short | Finding Lensed Radio Sources with the Very Large Array Sky Survey |
| title_sort | finding lensed radio sources with the very large array sky survey |
| topic | Strong gravitational lensing Radio active galactic nuclei Galaxy dark matter halos Surveys |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9c37 |
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