arXiv subjects

Narciso Benitez

Publications and source records attributed to Narciso Benitez.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Three Gravitationally Lensed Supernovae Behind CLASH Galaxy Clusters

We report observations of three gravitationally lensed supernovae (SNe) in the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) Multi-Cycle Treasury program. These objects, SN CLO12Car (z = 1.28), SN CLN12Did (z = 0.85), and SN CLA11Tib (z = 1.14), are located behind three different clusters, MACSJ1720.2+3536 (z = 0.391), RXJ1532.9+3021 (z = 0.345), and Abell 383 (z = 0.187), respectively. Each SN was detected in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical and infrared images. Based on photometric classification, we find that SNe CLO12Car and CLN12Did are likely to be Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), while the classification of SN CLA11Tib is inconclusive. Using multi-color light-curve fits to determine a standardized SN Ia luminosity distance, we infer that SN CLO12Car was approximately 1.0 +/- 0.2 mag brighter than field SNe Ia at a similar redshift and ascribe this to gravitational lens magnification. Similarly, SN CLN12Did is approximately 0.2 +/- 0.2 mag brighter than field SNe Ia. We derive independent estimates of the predicted magnification from CLASH strong+weak lensing maps of the clusters: 0.83 +/- 0.16 mag for SN CLO12Car, 0.28 +/- 0.08 mag for SN CLN12Did, and 0.43 +/- 0.11 mag for SN CLA11Tib. The two SNe Ia provide a new test of the cluster lens model predictions: we find that the magnifications based on the SN Ia brightness and those predicted by the lens maps are consistent. Our results herald the promise of future observations of samples of cluster-lensed SNe Ia (from the ground or space) to help illuminate the dark-matter distribution in clusters of galaxies, through the direct determination of absolute magnifications.

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arXiv2014

CLASH-VLT: Constraints on the Dark Matter Equation of State from Accurate Measurements of Galaxy Cluster Mass Profiles

A pressureless scenario for the Dark Matter (DM) fluid is a widely adopted hypothesis, despite the absence of a direct observational evidence. According to general relativity, the total mass-energy content of a system shapes the gravitational potential well, but different test particles perceive this potential in different ways depending on their properties. Cluster galaxy velocities, being $\ll$c, depend solely on the gravitational potential, whereas photon trajectories reflect the contributions from the gravitational potential plus a relativistic-pressure term that depends on the cluster mass. We exploit this phenomenon to constrain the Equation of State (EoS) parameter of the fluid, primarily DM, contained in galaxy clusters. We use the complementary information provided by the kinematic and lensing mass profiles of the galaxy cluster MACS 1206.2-0847 at $z=0.44$, as obtained in an extensive imaging and spectroscopic campaign within the CLASH survey. The unprecedented high quality of our data-set and the properties of this cluster are well suited to determine the EoS parameter of the cluster fluid. Since baryons contribute at most $15\%$ to the total mass in clusters and their pressure is negligible, the EoS parameter we derive describes the behavior of the DM fluid. We obtain the most stringent constraint on the DM EoS parameter to date, $w=(p_r+2\,p_t)/(3\,c^2ρ)=0.00\pm0.15\mathrm{(stat)}\pm0.08\mathrm{(syst)}$, averaged over the radial range $0.5\,\mathrm{Mpc}\leq$$r$$\leq$$r_{200}$, where $p_r$ and $p_t$ are the radial and tangential pressure, and $ρ$ is the density. We plan to further improve our constraint by applying the same procedure to all clusters from the ongoing CLASH-VLT program.

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arXiv2013

The Contribution of Halos with Different Mass Ratios to the Overall Growth of Cluster-Sized Halos

We provide a new observational test for a key prediction of the ΛCDM cosmological model: the contributions of mergers with different halo-to-main-cluster mass ratios to cluster-sized halo growth. We perform this test by dynamically analyzing seven galaxy clusters, spanning the redshift range $0.13 < z_c < 0.45$ and caustic mass range $0.4-1.5$ $10^{15} h_{0.73}^{-1}$ M$_{\odot}$, with an average of 293 spectroscopically-confirmed bound galaxies to each cluster. The large radial coverage (a few virial radii), which covers the whole infall region, with a high number of spectroscopically identified galaxies enables this new study. For each cluster, we identify bound galaxies. Out of these galaxies, we identify infalling and accreted halos and estimate their masses and their dynamical states. Using the estimated masses, we derive the contribution of different mass ratios to cluster-sized halo growth. For mass ratios between ~0.2 and ~0.7, we find a ~1 $σ$ agreement with ΛCDM expectations based on the Millennium simulations I and II. At low mass ratios, $\lesssim 0.2$, our derived contribution is underestimated since the detection efficiency decreases at low masses, $\sim 2 \times 10^{14}$ $h_{0.73}^{-1}$ M$_{\odot}$. At large mass ratios, $\gtrsim 0.7$, we do not detect halos probably because our sample, which was chosen to be quite X-ray relaxed, is biased against large mass ratios. Therefore, at large mass ratios, the derived contribution is also underestimated.

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arXiv2013

Galaxy halo truncation and Giant Arc Surface Brightness Reconstruction in the Cluster MACSJ1206.2-0847

In this work we analyze the mass distribution of MACSJ1206.2-0847, especially focusing on the halo properties of its cluster members. The cluster appears relaxed in its X-ray emission, but has significant amounts of intracluster light which is not centrally concentrated, suggesting that galaxy-scale interactions are still ongoing despite the overall relaxed state. The cluster lenses 12 background galaxies into multiple images and one galaxy at $z=1.033$ into a giant arc and its counterimage. The multiple image positions and the surface brightness distribution (SFB) of the arc which is bent around several cluster members are sensitive to the cluster galaxy halo properties. We model the cluster mass distribution with a NFW profile and the galaxy halos with two parameters for the mass normalization and extent of a reference halo assuming scalings with their observed NIR--light. We match the multiple image positions at an r.m.s. level of $0.85\arcsec$ and can reconstruct the SFB distribution of the arc in several filters to a remarkable accuracy based on this cluster model. The length scale where the enclosed galaxy halo mass is best constrained is about 5 effective radii -- a scale in between those accessible to dynamical and field strong lensing mass estimates on one hand and galaxy--galaxy weak lensing results on the other hand. The velocity dispersion and halo size of a galaxy with $m_{\rm 160W,AB}=19.2$ or $M_{\rm B,Vega}=-20.7$ are $σ=150 \rm kms^{-1}$ and $r\approx 26\pm 6 \rm kpc$, indicating that the halos of the cluster galaxies are tidally stripped. We also reconstruct the unlensed source (which is smaller by a factor of $\sim5.8$ in area), demonstrating the increase of morphological information due to lensing and conclude that this galaxy has likely star--forming spiral arms with a red (older) central component.

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arXiv2012

CLASH: Three Strongly Lensed Images of a Candidate z ~ 11 Galaxy

We present a candidate for the most distant galaxy known to date with a photometric redshift z = 10.7 +0.6 / -0.4 (95% confidence limits; with z < 9.5 galaxies of known types ruled out at 7.2-sigma). This J-dropout Lyman Break Galaxy, named MACS0647-JD, was discovered as part of the Cluster Lensing and Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). We observe three magnified images of this galaxy due to strong gravitational lensing by the galaxy cluster MACSJ0647.7+7015 at z = 0.591. The images are magnified by factors of ~8, 7, and 2, with the brighter two observed at ~26th magnitude AB (~0.15 uJy) in the WFC3/IR F160W filter (~1.4 - 1.7 um) where they are detected at >~ 12-sigma. All three images are also confidently detected at >~ 6-sigma in F140W (~1.2 - 1.6 um), dropping out of detection from 15 lower wavelength HST filters (~0.2 - 1.4 um), and lacking bright detections in Spitzer/IRAC 3.6um and 4.5um imaging (~3.2 - 5.0 um). We rule out a broad range of possible lower redshift interlopers, including some previously published as high redshift candidates. Our high redshift conclusion is more conservative than if we had neglected a Bayesian photometric redshift prior. Given CLASH observations of 17 high mass clusters to date, our discoveries of MACS0647-JD at z ~ 10.8 and MACS1149-JD1 at z ~ 9.6 are consistent with a lensed luminosity function extrapolated from lower redshifts. This would suggest that low luminosity galaxies could have reionized the universe. However given the significant uncertainties based on only two galaxies, we cannot yet rule out the sharp drop off in number counts at z >~ 10 suggested by field searches.

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arXiv2012

CLASH: Mass Distribution in and around MACS J1206.2-0847 from a Full Cluster Lensing Analysis

We derive an accurate mass distribution of the galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847 (z=0.439) from a combined weak-lensing distortion, magnification, and strong-lensing analysis of wide-field Subaru BVRIz' imaging and our recent 16-band Hubble Space Telescope observations taken as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) program. We find good agreement in the regions of overlap between several weak and strong lensing mass reconstructions using a wide variety of modeling methods, ensuring consistency. The Subaru data reveal the presence of a surrounding large scale structure with the major axis running approximately north-west south-east (NW-SE), aligned with the cluster and its brightest galaxy shapes, showing elongation with a \sim 2:1 axis ratio in the plane of the sky. Our full-lensing mass profile exhibits a shallow profile slope dlnΣ/dlnR\sim -1 at cluster outskirts (R>1Mpc/h), whereas the mass distribution excluding the NW-SE excess regions steepens further out, well described by the Navarro-Frenk-White form. Assuming a spherical halo, we obtain a virial mass M_{vir}=(1.1\pm 0.2\pm 0.1)\times 10^{15} M_{sun}/h and a halo concentration c_{vir} = 6.9\pm 1.0\pm 1.2 (\sim 5.7 when the central 50kpc/h is excluded), which falls in the range 4< <7 of average c(M,z) predictions for relaxed clusters from recent Lambda cold dark matter simulations. Our full lensing results are found to be in agreement with X-ray mass measurements where the data overlap, and when combined with Chandra gas mass measurements, yield a cumulative gas mass fraction of 13.7^{+4.5}_{-3.0}% at 0.7Mpc/h (\approx 1.7r_{2500}), a typical value observed for high mass clusters.

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arXiv2012

Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH): An Overview

The Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) is a 524-orbit multi-cycle treasury program to use the gravitational lensing properties of 25 galaxy clusters to accurately constrain their mass distributions. The survey, described in detail in this paper, will definitively establish the degree of concentration of dark matter in the cluster cores, a key prediction of CDM. The CLASH cluster sample is larger and less biased than current samples of space-based imaging studies of clusters to similar depth, as we have minimized lensing-based selection that favors systems with overly dense cores. Specifically, twenty CLASH clusters are solely X-ray selected. The X-ray selected clusters are massive (kT > 5 keV; 5 - 30 x 10^14 M_solar) and, in most cases, dynamically relaxed. Five additional clusters are included for their lensing strength (Einstein radii > 35 arcsec at z_source = 2) to further quantify the lensing bias on concentration, to yield high resolution dark matter maps, and to optimize the likelihood of finding highly magnified high-redshift (z > 7) galaxies. The high magnification, in some cases, provides angular resolutions unobtainable with any current UVOIR facility and can yield z > 7 candidates bright enough for spectroscopic follow-up. A total of 16 broadband filters, spanning the near-UV to near-IR, are employed for each 20-orbit campaign on each cluster. These data are used to measure precise (sigma_phz < 0.02(1+z)) photometric redshifts for dozens of newly discovered multiply-lensed images per cluster. Observations of each cluster are spread over 8 epochs to enable a search, primarily in the parallel fields, for Type Ia supernovae at z > 1 to improve constraints on the time dependence of the dark energy equation of state and the evolution of such supernovae in an epoch when the universe is matter dominated.

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arXiv2011

A Weak Lensing Detection of the Cosmological Distance-Redshift Relation Behind Three Massive Clusters

The amplitude of weak lensing should increase with source distance, rising steeply behind a lens and saturating at high redshift, providing a model-independent means of measuring cosmic geometry. We measure the amplitude of weak lensing with redshift for three massive clusters, A370 (z=0.375), ZwCl0024+17 (z=0.395) and RXJ1347-11 (z=0.451), using deep, three-colour Subaru imaging. We define the depth of lensed populations with reference to the COSMOS and GOODS fields, providing a consistency check of photo-z estimates over a wide range of redshift and magnitude. The predicted distance-redshift relation is followed well for the deepest dataset, A370, for a wide range of cosmologies, and is consistent with less accurate data for the other two clusters. Scaling this result to a new survey of ~25 massive clusters should provide a useful cosmological constraint on w, complementing existing techniques, with distance measurements covering the untested redshift range, 1<z<5.

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arXiv2010

Strong-Lensing Analysis of MS 1358.4+6245: New Multiple Images and Implications for the Well-Resolved z=4.92 Galaxy

We present a strong-lensing analysis of the galaxy cluster MS 1358.4+6245 ($z=0.33$), in deep 6-band ACS/HST imaging. In addition to the well-studied system at $z=4.92$, our modelling method uncovers 19 new multiply-lensed images so that a total of 23 images and their redshifts are used to accurately constrain the inner mass distribution. We derive a relatively shallow inner mass profile, $d\log Σ/d\log r\simeq -0.33 \pm0.05$ ($r<200$ kpc), with a much higher magnification than estimated previously by models constrained only by the $z=4.92$ system. Using these many new images we can apply a non-parametric adaptive-grid method, which also yields a shallow mass profile without prior assumptions, strengthening our conclusions. The total magnification of the $z_s=4.92$ galaxy is high, about a $\sim100\times$ over its four images, so that the inferred source size, luminosity and star-formation rate are about $\sim5\times$ smaller than previous estimates, corresponding to a dwarf-sized galaxy of radius $\simeq1$ kpc. A detailed image of the interior morphology of the source is generated with a high effective resolution of only $\simeq$50 pc, thanks to the high magnification and to the declining angular diameter distance above $z\sim1.5$ for the standard cosmology, so that this image apparently represents the best resolved object known at high redshift.

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arXiv2010

Strong-Lensing Analysis of a Complete Sample of 12 MACS Clusters at z>0.5: Mass Models and Einstein Radii

We present the results of a strong-lensing analysis of a complete sample of 12 very luminous X-ray clusters at $z>0.5$ using HST/ACS images. Our modelling technique has uncovered some of the largest known critical curves outlined by many accurately-predicted sets of multiple images. The distribution of Einstein radii has a median value of $\simeq28\arcsec$ (for a source redshift of $z_{s}\sim2$), twice as large as other lower-$z$ samples, and extends to $55\arcsec$ for MACS J0717.5+3745, with an impressive enclosed Einstein mass of $7.4\times10^{14} M_{\odot}$. We find that 9 clusters cover a very large area ($>2.5 \sq \arcmin$) of high magnification ($μ> \times10$) for a source redshift of $z_{s}\sim8$, providing primary targets for accessing the first stars and galaxies. We compare our results with theoretical predictions of the standard $Λ$CDM model which we show systematically fall short of our measured Einstein radii by a factor of $\simeq1.4$, after accounting for the effect of lensing projection. Nevertheless, a revised analysis once arc redshifts become available, and similar analyses of larger samples, are needed in order to establish more precisely the level of discrepancy with $Λ$CDM predictions.

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arXiv2010

The Highest Resolution Mass Map of Galaxy Cluster Substructure To Date Without Assuming Light Traces Mass: LensPerfect Analysis of Abell 1689

We present a strong lensing mass model of Abell 1689 which resolves substructures ~25 kpc across (including about ten individual galaxy subhalos) within the central ~400 kpc diameter. We achieve this resolution by perfectly reproducing the observed (strongly lensed) input positions of 168 multiple images of 55 knots residing within 135 images of 42 galaxies. Our model makes no assumptions about light tracing mass, yet we reproduce the brightest visible structures with some slight deviations. A1689 remains one of the strongest known lenses on the sky, with an Einstein radius of RE = 47.0" +/- 1.2" (143 +3/-4 kpc) for a lensed source at zs = 2. We find a single NFW or Sersic prole yields a good fit simultaneously (with only slight tension) to both our strong lensing (SL) mass model and published weak lensing (WL) measurements at larger radius (out to the virial radius). According to this NFW fit, A1689 has a mass of Mvir = 2.0 +0.5/-0.3 x 10^15 Msun / h70 (M200 = 1.8 +0.4/-0.3 x 10^15 Msun / h70) within the virial radius rvir = 3.0 +/- 0.2 Mpc / h70 (r200 = 2.4 +0.1/-0.2 Mpc / h70), and a central concentration cvir = 11.5 +1.5/-1.4 (c200 = 9.2 +/- 1.2). Our SL model prefers slightly higher concentrations than previous SL models, bringing our SL+WL constraints in line with other recent derivations. Our results support those of previous studies which find A1689 has either an anomalously large concentration or significant extra mass along the line of sight (perhaps in part due to triaxiality). If clusters are generally found to have higher concentrations than realized in simulations, this could indicate they formed earlier, perhaps as a result of early dark energy.

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arXiv2007

Using Weak Lensing Dilution to Improve Measurements of the Luminous and Dark Matter in A1689

The E/SO sequence of a cluster defines a boundary redward of which a reliable weak lensing signal can be obtained from background galaxies, uncontaminated by cluster members. For bluer colors, both background and cluster members are present, reducing the distortion signal by the proportion of unlensed cluster members. In deep Subaru and HST/ACS images of A1689 the tangential distortion of galaxies with bluer colors falls rapidly toward the cluster center relative to the lensing signal of the red background. We use this dilution effect to derive the cluster light profile and luminosity function to large radius, with the advantage that no subtraction of far-field background counts is required. The light profile declines smoothly to the limit of the data, r<2Mpc/h, with a constant slope, dlog(L)/dlog(r)=-1.12+-0.06, unlike the lensing mass profile which steepens continuously with radius, so that M/L peaks at an intermediate radius, ~100kpc/h. A flatter behavior is found for the more physically meaningful ratio of dark-matter to stellar-matter, when accounting for the color-mass relation of cluster members. The cluster luminosity function has a flat slope, alpha=-1.05+-0.07, independent of radius and with no faint upturn to M_i'<-12. We establish that the very bluest objects are negligibly contaminated by the cluster V-i'<0.2, because their distortion profile rises towards the center following the red background, but offset higher by ~20%. This larger amplitude is consistent with the greater estimated depth of the faint blue galaxies, z~=2.0 compared to z~=0.85 for the red background, a purely geometric effect related to cosmological parameters. Finally, we improve upon our earlier mass profile by combining both the red and blue background populations, clearly excluding low concentration CDM profiles.

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arXiv2006

Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: I. Detection, Multiband Photometry, Photometric Redshifts, and Morphology

We present aperture-matched PSF-corrected BVi'z'JH photometry and Bayesian photometric redshifts (BPZ) for objects detected in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF), 8,042 of which are detected at the 10-sigma level (e.g., i'<29.01 or z'<28.43). Most of our objects are defined identically to those in the public STScI catalogs, enabling straightforward object-by-object comparison. We have combined detections from i', z', J+H, and B+V+i'+z' images into a single comprehensive segmentation map. Using a new program called SExSeg we are able to force this segmentation map into SExtractor for photometric analysis. The resulting photometry is corrected for the wider NIC3 PSFs using our ColorPro software. We also correct for the ACS z'-band PSF halo. The NIC3 magnitudes are found to be too faint relative to the ACS fluxes. Based on BPZ SED fits to objects of know spectroscopic redshift, we derived corrections of -0.30 +/- 0.03 mag in J and -0.18 +/- 0.04 mag in H. The offsets appear to be supported by a recent recalibration of the UDF NIC3 images combined with non-linearity measured in NICMOS itself. The UDF reveals a large population of faint blue galaxies (presumably young starbursts), bluer than those observed in the original Hubble Deep Fields (HDF). To accommodate these galaxies, we have added two new starburst templates to the SED library used in previous BPZ papers. The resulting photometric redshifts are accurate to within 0.04 * 1+z_spec out to z < 6. Finally, we measure galaxy morphology, including Sersic index and asymmetry. Our full catalog, software packages, and more are available at http://adcam.pha.jhu.edu/~coe/UDF/ (abridged)

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arXiv2005

The Morphological Demographics of galaxies in the ACS Hubble Ultra Deep Parallel Fields

We present a morphological analysis of distant field galaxies using the deep ACS images from the public parallel NICMOS observations of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field obtained in the F435W (B), F606W (V), F775W (i) and F850LP (z) filters. We morphologically segregate galaxies using a combination of visual classification and objective machine based selection. We use the Asymmetry (A) and Central Concentration (C) parameters to characterize galaxies up to z_AB<25mag. We take advantage of the multicolor dataset and estimate redshifts for our sample using the Bayesian photometric redshift (BPZ) which enables us to investigate the evolution of their morphological demographics with redshift. Using a template fitting model and a maximum likelihood approach, we compute the star-formation rate (SFR) for galaxies up to z~1.3 and its contributions from different morphological types. We report that spirals are the main providers to the total SFR. The E/S0s contribution flattens out at z~1 while the Irr/Pec populations continuously rise to match the spirals contribution at z~1.0. We use the i-z and V-i color-magnitude diagrams to constrain the galaxies' formation histories and find that E/S0s show both a population of luminous red galaxies in place at z~1.2 and a bluer and fainter population resembling those of Irr/Pec at similar redshifts.

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arXiv2004

The Nature of Blue Cores in Spheroids: a Possible Connection with AGN and Star Formation

We investigate the physical nature of blue cores in early-type galaxies through the first multi-wavelength analysis of a serendipitously discovered field blue-nucleated spheroid in the background of the deep ACS/WFC griz multicolor observations of the cluster Abell 1689. The resolved g-r, r-i and i-z color maps reveal a prominent blue core identifying this galaxy as a ``typical'' case study, exhibiting variations of 0.5-1.0 mag in color between the center and the outer regions, opposite to the expectations of reddened metallicity induced gradients in passively evolved ellipticals. From a Magellan-Clay spectrum we secure the galaxy redshift at $z=0.624$. We find a strong X-ray source coincident with the spheroid galaxy. Spectral features and a high X-ray luminosity indicate the presence of an AGN in the galaxy. However, a comparison of the X-ray luminosity to a sample derived from the Chandra Deep Field South displays Lx to be comparable to Type I/QSO galaxies while the optical flux is consistent with a normal star-forming galaxy. We conclude that the galaxy's non-thermal component dominates at high-energy wavelengths while we associate the spheroid blue light with the stellar spectrum of normal star-forming galaxies. We argue about a probable association between the presence of blue cores in spheroids and AGN activity.

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arXiv2004

Strong lensing analysis of A1689 from deep ACS images

ACS observations of massive lensing clusters permit an order of magnitude increase in the numbers of multiply-lensed background galaxies identified behind a given cluster. We have developed a code to take the pixels belonging to any given image and generate counter-images with full resolution, so that multiple systems are convincingly and exhaustively identified. Over 130 images of 35 multiply lensed galaxies are found behind A1689, including many radial arcs and also tiny counter-images projected on the center of mass. The derived mass profile is found to flatten steadily towards the center, like an NFW profile, with a mean slope d(log(Sigma))/d(log(r)) ~ -0.55 +/- 0.1, over the range r<250 kpc/h, which is somewhat steeper than predicted for such a massive halo. We also clearly see the expected geometric increase of bend angles with redshift, however, given the low redshift of A1689, z=0.18, the dependence on cosmological parameters is weak, but using higher redshift clusters from our GTO program we may derive a more competitive constraint.

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arXiv2004

Strong Lensing Analysis of A1689 from Deep Advanced Camera Images

We analyse deep multi-colour Advanced Camera images of the largest known gravitational lens, A1689. Radial and tangential arcs delineate the critical curves in unprecedented detail and many small counter-images are found near the center of mass. We construct a flexible light deflection field to predict the appearance and positions of counter-images. The model is refined as new counter-images are identified and incorporated to improve the model, yielding a total of 106 images of 30 multiply lensed background galaxies, spanning a wide redshift range, 1.0$<$z$<$5.5. The resulting mass map is more circular in projection than the clumpy distribution of cluster galaxies and the light is more concentrated than the mass within $r<50kpc/h$. The projected mass profile flattens steadily towards the center with a shallow mean slope of $d\logΣ/d\log r \simeq -0.55\pm0.1$, over the observed range, r$<250kpc/h$, matching well an NFW profile, but with a relatively high concentration, $C_{vir}=8.2^{+2.1}_{-1.8}$. A softened isothermal profile ($r_{core}=20\pm2$\arcs) is not conclusively excluded, illustrating that lensing constrains only projected quantities. Regarding cosmology, we clearly detect the purely geometric increase of bend-angles with redshift. The dependence on the cosmological parameters is weak due to the proximity of A1689, $z=0.18$, constraining the locus, $Ω_M+Ω_Λ \leq 1.2$. This consistency with standard cosmology provides independent support for our model, because the redshift information is not required to derive an accurate mass map. Similarly, the relative fluxes of the multiple images are reproduced well by our best fitting lens model.

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arXiv2004

Type Ia Supernova Discoveries at z>1 From the Hubble Space Telescope: Evidence for Past Deceleration and Constraints on Dark Energy Evolution

We have discovered 16 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and have used them to provide the first conclusive evidence for cosmic deceleration that preceded the current epoch of cosmic acceleration. These objects, discovered during the course of the GOODS ACS Treasury program, include 6 of the 7 highest-redshift SNe Ia known, all at z>1.25, and populate the Hubble diagram in unexplored territory. The luminosity distances to these and 170 previous SNe Ia are provided. A purely kinematic interpretation of the SN Ia sample provides evidence at the > 99% confidence level for a transition from deceleration to acceleration or similarly, strong evidence for a cosmic jerk. Using a simple model of the expansion history, the transition between the two epochs is constrained to be at z=0.46 +/- 0.13. The data are consistent with the cosmic concordance model of Omega_M ~ 0.3, Omega_Lambda~0.7 (chi^2_dof=1.06), and are inconsistent with a simple model of evolution or dust as an alternative to dark energy. For a flat Universe with a cosmological constant. When combined with external flat-Universe constraints we find w=-1.02 + 0.13 - 0.19 (and $<-0.76 at the 95% confidence level) for an assumed static equation of state of dark energy, P = wρc^2. Joint constraints on both the recent equation of state of dark energy, $w_0$, and its time evolution, dw/dz, are a factor of ~8 more precise than its first estimate and twice as precise as those without the SNe Ia discovered with HST. Our constraints are consistent with the static nature of and value of w expected for a cosmological constant (i.e., w_0 = -1.0, dw/dz = 0), and are inconsistent with very rapid evolution of dark energy. We address consequences of evolving dark energy for the fate of the Universe.

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