LEGGOS II: A Strong Lens Model and Source-Plane Projection of the Clumpy Star-Forming Galaxy SGASJ111020.0+645950.8 at z=2.48

Pedram Abedi; Keren Sharon; Taylor A. Hutchison; Matthew B. Bayliss; Michael Florian; Gourav Khullar; Michael D. Gladders; Dylan Berry; Catherine Cerny; Håkon Dahle; Aleena Ebey; Juliana S. M. Karp; Keunho Kim; James W. Kulp; Guillaume Mahler; Jane R. Rigby; T. Emil Rivera-Thorsen; Amritaansh Srivastava; Brian Welch; Alex Ross; Julissa Sarmiento

arXiv · 2606.20804

LEGGOS II: A Strong Lens Model and Source-Plane Projection of the Clumpy Star-Forming Galaxy SGASJ111020.0+645950.8 at z=2.48

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Abstract

Strong gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters combined with the resolution of JWST enables studies of star formation on ~10-100 pc scales in galaxies at z~2-4. As part of the LEnsing and Galaxy Growth: Observing Substructures survey (LEGGOS), we present an updated strong lensing model of the galaxy cluster SDSSJ1110+6459 (z=0.659), which lenses the clumpy star-forming galaxy SGASJ111020.0+645950.8 at z=2.481 into a highly magnified giant arc. Using JWST NIRCam imaging, NIRSpec spectroscopy, and archival HST data, we confirm and refine the identification of four multiply imaged background sources, including one newly identified system, and map over 20 luminous regions between each image of the primary arc. Spectroscopy confirms that several previously ambiguous edge "clumps" belong to the main arc at z=2.481. Despite the limited number of strongly lensed sources in the field, the resulting lens model has high precision, owing to the high density of JWST-resolved clump constraints that tightly probe the lensing potential near the giant arc. The model yields a projected lens mass of $M(<250~\mathrm{kpc}) = 1.21^{+0.09}_{-0.04} \times 10^{14}~M_\odot$, an Einstein radius of $\theta_\mathrm{E} = 10.8^{+0.3}_{-0.4}~\mathrm{arcsec}$, and a total effective magnification of $\mu_\mathrm{tot}=24.2^{+3.4}_{-1.2}$ for the giant arc. Across the arc, individual clump magnifications span $\mu_\mathrm{clump}\sim4-19$, with fractional magnification uncertainties of $\sigma_\mu/|\mu_{\rm best}|\sim0.03-0.09$. We report a $\sim2-8\times$ improvement in magnification precision over previous models. Ongoing and future analyses of this arc will enable robust measurements of star-forming structure, building on the lensing foundation established here for LEGGOS studies of galaxy growth and feedback during cosmic noon.

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Pedram Abedi, Keren Sharon, Taylor A. Hutchison, Matthew B. Bayliss, Michael Florian, Gourav Khullar, Michael D. Gladders, Dylan Berry, Catherine Cerny, Håkon Dahle, Aleena Ebey, Juliana S. M. Karp, Keunho Kim, James W. Kulp, Guillaume Mahler, Jane R. Rigby, T. Emil Rivera-Thorsen, Amritaansh Srivastava, Brian Welch, Alex Ross, Julissa Sarmiento. 2026-06-18. LEGGOS II: A Strong Lens Model and Source-Plane Projection of the Clumpy Star-Forming Galaxy SGASJ111020.0+645950.8 at z=2.48. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.20804

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