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Published January 21, 2005 | Published + Accepted Version
Journal Article Open

CLASS B2108+213: a new wide-separation gravitational lens system

Abstract

We present observations of CLASS B2108+213, the widest separation gravitational lens system discovered by the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey. Radio imaging using the VLA at 8.46 GHz and MERLIN at 5 GHz shows two compact components separated by 4.56 arcsec with a faint third component in between which we believe is emission from a lensing galaxy. 5-GHz VLBA observations reveal milliarcsecond-scale structure in the two lensed images that is consistent with gravitational lensing. Optical emission from the two lensed images and two lensing galaxies within the Einstein radius is detected in Hubble Space Telescope imaging. Furthermore, an optical gravitational arc, associated with the strongest lensed component, has been detected. Surrounding the system is a number of faint galaxies which may help explain the wide image separation. A plausible mass distribution model for CLASS B2108+213 is also presented.

Additional Information

© 2004 RAS. Accepted 2004 October 15. Received 2004 October 15; in original form 2004 August 23. The VLA and VLBA are operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory which is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. MERLIN is a national facility operated by the University of Manchester on behalf of PPARC. The results presented herein were based on observations collected with the NASA/ESA HST, obtained at STScI, which is operated by AURA, under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These observations are associated with programme 9744. JPM, MAN, PMP and TDY acknowledge the receipt of PPARC studentships. RDB is supported by NSF grant AST-9900866. TT acknowledges support from NASA through Hubble Fellowship grant HST-HF-01167.01-A. This work was supported by the European Community's Sixth Framework Marie Curie Research Training Network Programme, Contract No. MRTN-CT-2004-505183 'ANGLES'.

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Published - 356-3-1009.pdf

Accepted Version - 0410554

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Created:
August 19, 2023
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