9–12 Oct 2018
Royal Observatory of Belgium
UTC timezone
<br>2nd BINA Workshop<br><br>BINA as an expanding international collaboration<P><img src="https://events.oma.be/indico/event/48/picture/0.jpg" width="279" height="75">

Strong lensing studies with the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope: opportunities and challenges

10 Oct 2018, 17:00
20m
Meridian Room (Royal Observatory of Belgium)

Meridian Room

Royal Observatory of Belgium

Ringlaan 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Contributed Talk 2.3. Data & Science with the Indo-Belgian telescopes 2. Data & Science with the Indo-Belgian telescopes

Speaker

Dr Dominique Sluse (STAR Institute (U. Liège))

Description

Strongly lensed quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGN), namely active galaxies that appear multiply imaged due to a foreground lensing galaxy, are exceptional astrophysical tools that may be used to probe the expansion rate of the Universe, study the evolution of galaxies and of their dark matter content over cosmic time, and zoom in into the structure of AGNs. We are entering a new era in observational astrophysics, not anymore limited by the number of accessible targets, but by our ability to carry out follow-up observations. In this talk, I will present two areas where a spectrograph attached to the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) may yield to important scientific contributions. (1) Discovery of new lensed candidates: A 4-m class telescope is ideal to confirm the nature and derive the basic properties of newly discovered lensed candidates, but also support observations with larger telescope facilities (Very Large Telescope, ALMA, ...). I will expain the scientific importance of such follow-up observations and discuss the number of accessible targets and observational requirements for a successful project. (2) Gravitational microlensing: the stars in the main lensing galaxy act as numerous micro-lenses that magnify the inner regions of AGN, allowing one to uniquely constrain the size and energy profile of the accretion disc. Multi-epochs and low resolution spectroscopy on a 4-m class telescope may constrain the accretion disc structure of tens of AGNs, allowing a breakthrough in the field. We will discuss the motivation and observational challenges associated to such a research project.

Primary author

Dr Dominique Sluse (STAR Institute (U. Liège))

Presentation materials