| Sep 18, 2024 |
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(Nanowerk Information) In a uncommon and extraordinary discovery, researchers have recognized a singular configuration of galaxies that type essentially the most exquisitely aligned gravitational lens discovered so far. The Carousel Lens is a large cluster-scale gravitational lens system that can allow researchers to delve deeper into the mysteries of the cosmos, together with darkish matter and darkish power.
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“This is an amazingly lucky ‘galactic line-up’ – a chance alignment of multiple galaxies across a line-of-sight spanning most of the observable universe,” mentioned David Schlegel, a co-author of the examine and a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Physics Division. “Finding one such alignment is a needle in the haystack. Finding all of these is like eight needles precisely lined up inside that haystack.”
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The findings have been revealed in The Astrophysical Journal (“The Carousel Lens: A Well-modeled Strong Lens with Multiple Sources Spectroscopically Confirmed by VLT/MUSE”).
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The Carousel Lens is an alignment consisting of 1 foreground galaxy cluster (the ‘lens’) and 7 background galaxies spanning immense cosmic distances and seen by way of the gravitationally distorted space-time across the lens. Within the dramatic picture under:
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- The lensing cluster, positioned 5 billion mild years away from Earth, is proven by its 4 brightest and most large galaxies (indicated by La, Lb, Lc, and Ld), and these represent the foreground of the picture.
- Seven distinctive galaxies (numbered 1 by way of 7), seem by way of the lens. These are positioned far past, at distances from 7.6 to 12 billion mild years away from Earth, approaching the restrict of the observable universe.
- Every galaxy’s repeated appearances (indicated by every quantity’s letter index, e.g., a by way of d) present variations in form which are curved and stretched into a number of “fun house mirror” iterations brought on by the warped space-time across the lens.
- Of specific curiosity is the invention of an Einstein Cross – the biggest recognized so far – proven in galaxy quantity 4’s a number of appearances (indicated by 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d). This uncommon configuration of a number of photographs across the heart of the lens is a sign of the symmetrical distribution of the lens’ mass (dominated by invisible darkish matter) and performs a key position within the lens-modeling course of.
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| Hubble House Telescope picture of the Carousel Lens, taken in two 10-minute exposures, one utilizing an optical filter and one other utilizing an infrared filter. The “L” indicators close to the middle (La, Lb, Lc, and Ld) present essentially the most large galaxies within the lensing cluster, positioned 5 billion mild years away. Seven distinctive galaxies (numbered 1 by way of 7) – positioned an extra 2.6 to 7 billion mild years past the lens – seem in a number of, distorted “fun-house mirror” iterations (indicated by every quantity’s letter index, e.g., a by way of d), as seen by way of the lens. (Credit score: Credit score: William Sheu (UCLA) utilizing Hubble House Telescope information.)
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Mild touring from far-distant area might be magnified and curved because it passes by way of the gravitationally distorted space-time of nearer galaxies or clusters of galaxies. In uncommon cases, a configuration of objects aligns practically completely to type a powerful gravitational lens. Utilizing an abundance of recent information from the Darkish Power Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys, current observations from NASA’s Hubble House Telescope, and the Perlmutter supercomputer on the Nationwide Power Analysis Scientific Computing Heart (NERSC), the analysis staff constructed on their earlier research (in Could 2020 and Feb 2021) to establish doubtless sturdy lens candidates, laying the groundwork for the present discovery.
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“Our team has been searching for strong lenses and modeling the most valuable systems,” explains Xiaosheng Huang, a examine co-author and member of Berkeley Lab’s Supernova Cosmology Venture, and a professor of physics and astronomy on the College of San Francisco. “The Carousel Lens is an incredible alignment of seven galaxies in five groupings that line up nearly perfectly behind the foreground cluster lens. As they appear through the lens, the multiple images of each of the background galaxies form approximately concentric circular patterns around the foreground lens, as in a carousel. It’s an unprecedented discovery, and the computational model generated shows a highly promising prospect for measuring the properties of the cosmos, including those of dark matter and dark energy.”
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The examine additionally concerned a number of Berkeley Lab pupil researchers, together with the lead writer, William Sheu, an undergraduate pupil intern with DESI originally of this examine, now a PhD pupil at UCLA and a DESI collaborator.
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The Carousel Lens will allow researchers to review darkish power and darkish matter in completely new methods based mostly on the energy of the observational information and its computational mannequin.
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“This is an extremely unusual alignment, which by itself will provide a testbed for cosmological studies,” observes Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, director of Berkeley Lab’s Physics Division. “It also shows how the imaging done for DESI can be leveraged for other scientific applications,” similar to investigating the mysteries of darkish matter and the accelerating growth of the universe, which is pushed by darkish power.
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