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VDES J2325-5229 a z=2.7 gravitationally lensed quasar discovered using morphology independent supervised machine learning

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Ostrovski, F 
McMahon, RG 
Connolly, AJ 
Lemon, CA 
Auger, MW 

Abstract

We present the discovery and preliminary characterization of a gravitationally lensed quasar with a source redshift zs = 2.74 and image separation of 2.9 arcsec lensed by a foreground zl = 0.40 elliptical galaxy. Since optical observations of gravitationally lensed quasars show the lens system as a superposition of multiple point sources and a foreground lensing galaxy, we have developed a morphology-independent multi-wavelength approach to the photometric selection of lensed quasar candidates based on Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) supervised machine learning. Using this technique and gi multicolour photometric observations from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), near-IR JK photometry from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and WISE mid-IR photometry, we have identified a candidate system with two catalogue components with iAB = 18.61 and iAB = 20.44 comprising an elliptical galaxy and two blue point sources. Spectroscopic follow-up with NTT and the use of an archival AAT spectrum show that the point sources can be identified as a lensed quasar with an emission line redshift of z = 2.739 ± 0.003 and a foreground early-type galaxy with z = 0.400 ± 0.002. We model the system as a single isothermal ellipsoid and find the Einstein radius θE ∼ 1.47 arcsec, enclosed mass Menc ∼ 4 × 1011M⊙ and a time delay of ∼52 d. The relatively wide separation, month scale time delay duration and high redshift make this an ideal system for constraining the expansion rate beyond a redshift of 1.

Description

Keywords

gravitational lensing: strong, methods: observational, methods: statistical, quasars: general

Journal Title

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0035-8711
1365-2966

Volume Title

465

Publisher

Oxford University Press
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/K004182/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/M003914/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N004493/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N000927/1)
STFC (1369580)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (1638336)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/M005305/1)
European Research Council (306478)
FO is supported jointly by CAPES (the Science without Borders programme) and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust. RGM, CAL, MWA, MB, SLR acknowledge the support of UK Science and Technology Research Council (STFC). AJC acknowledges the support of a Raymond and Beverly Sackler visiting fellowship at the Institute of Astronomy. For further information regarding funding please visit the publisher's website.