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COOL–LAMPS. III. Discovery of a 25.″9 Separation Quasar Lensed by a Merging Galaxy Cluster*  

Martinez, Michael N.; Napier, Kate A.; Cloonan, Aidan P.; Sukay, Ezra; Gozman, Katya; Merz, Kaiya; Khullar, Gourav; Lin, Jason J.; Matthews Acuña, Owen S.; Medina, Elisabeth; Sanchez, Jorge A.; Sisco, Emily E.; Kavin Stein, Daniel J.; Tavangar, Kiyan; González, Juan Remolina; Mahler, Guillaume; Sharon, Keren; Dahle, Håkon; Gladders, Michael D.

COOL–LAMPS. III. Discovery of a 25.″9 Separation Quasar Lensed by a Merging Galaxy Cluster*                 Thumbnail


Authors

Michael N. Martinez

Kate A. Napier

Aidan P. Cloonan

Ezra Sukay

Katya Gozman

Kaiya Merz

Gourav Khullar

Jason J. Lin

Owen S. Matthews Acuña

Elisabeth Medina

Jorge A. Sanchez

Emily E. Sisco

Daniel J. Kavin Stein

Kiyan Tavangar

Juan Remolina González

Keren Sharon

Håkon Dahle

Michael D. Gladders



Abstract

In the third paper from the COOL–LAMPS Collaboration, we report the discovery of COOL J0542-2125, a gravitationally lensed quasar at z = 1.84, observed as three images due to an intervening massive galaxy cluster at z = 0.61. The lensed quasar images were identified in a search for lens systems in recent public optical imaging data and have separations on the sky up to 25farcs9, wider than any previously known lensed quasar. The galaxy cluster acting as a strong lens appears to be in the process of merging, with two subclusters separated by ∼1 Mpc in the plane of the sky, and their central galaxies showing a radial velocity difference of ∼1000 km s−1. Both cluster cores show strongly lensed images of an assortment of background sources, as does the region between them. A preliminary strong lens model implies masses of ${M}_{\lt 250{\rm{k}}{\rm{p}}{\rm{c}}}={1.79}_{-0.01}^{+0.16}\times {10}^{14}\,{M}_{\odot }$ and ${M}_{\lt 250{\rm{k}}{\rm{p}}{\rm{c}}}={1.48}_{-0.10}^{+0.04}\times {10}^{14}\,{M}_{\odot }$ for the east and west subclusters, respectively. This line of sight is also coincident with an ROSAT ALL-sky Survey source, centered between the two confirmed cluster halos reminiscent of other major cluster-scale mergers. Archival and new follow-up imaging show flux variability in the quasar images of up to 0.4 mag within ∼1 yr, and new multicolor imaging data reveal a 2σ detection of the underlying quasar host. A lens system with this configuration offers rare opportunities for a range of future studies of both the lensed quasar and its host and the foreground cluster merger causing the lensing.

Citation

Martinez, M. N., Napier, K. A., Cloonan, A. P., Sukay, E., Gozman, K., Merz, K., …Gladders, M. D. (2023). COOL–LAMPS. III. Discovery of a 25.″9 Separation Quasar Lensed by a Merging Galaxy Cluster*  . Astrophysical Journal, 946(2), Article 63. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acbe39

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 21, 2023
Online Publication Date Mar 30, 2023
Publication Date Apr 1, 2023
Deposit Date Oct 31, 2023
Publicly Available Date Oct 31, 2023
Journal The Astrophysical Journal
Print ISSN 0004-637X
Electronic ISSN 1538-4357
Publisher American Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 946
Issue 2
Article Number 63
DOI https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acbe39
Keywords Space and Planetary Science; Astronomy and Astrophysics
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1872433

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Copyright Statement
© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.





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