Modelling the first probable two-plane lens system B2114+022: reproducing two compact radio cores A and D

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2001

Authors

Chae, KH (Author) Other; Mao, SD (Author) Other; Augusto, P (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Vol. 326

Pages: 1015-1026

ISSN: 0035-8711

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 20 Citations

Scopus - 19 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-T8M

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04663.x

Abstract (EN): We test possible lensing scenarios of the WAS system B2114+022, in which two galaxies at different redshifts ('G1' at z(1) = 0.3157 and 'G2' at z(2) = 0.5883) are found within 2 arcsec of quadruple radio sources. For our investigation, we use possible lensing constraints derived from a wealth of data on the radio sources obtained with VLA, MERLIN, VLBA and EVN as well as HST imaging data on the two galaxies, which were presented recently in Augusto et al. In the present study, we focus on reproducing the widest separated, observationally similar radio components A and D as lensed images. We first treat G2 (which is the more distant one from the geometric centre) as a shear term, and then consider two-plane lensing explicitly including G2's potential at the z(2) plane as the first case of two-plane lens modelling. Our modelling results not only support the hypothesis that the system includes gravitationally lensed images of a higher-redshift extragalactic object, but they also show that the explicit inclusion of G2's potential at the second lens plane is necessary in order to fit the data with astrophysically plausible galaxy parameters. Finally, we illustrate a natural consequence of a two-plane lens system, namely the prediction of distortion as well as shift and stretching of G2's isophotes by G1's potential, which can in principle be measured by subtracting out G1's light distribution in an image of high signal-to-noise ratio and good angular resolution, especially a multicolour one.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12