arXiv subjects

Richard G. Hayes

Publications and source records attributed to Richard G. Hayes.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Radiation damage to the Hubble Space Telescope has been several years out of phase with the Solar cycle

As well as obtaining beautiful images of the Universe, the Hubble Space Telescope's CCD detectors are sensitive radiation dosimeters that have been monitored in Low Earth Orbit for more than 24 years. The rate of radiation damage they received has varied over each Solar cycle, but several years out of phase with the appearance of sunspots or coronal mass ejections. We investigate functional forms that successfully fit the time series of damage to telescopes elsewhere in the Solar system. We obtain remarkably accurate fits to Hubble data but with physically absurd parameter values. During image post-processing, such fits can be used empirically, to correct more than 99.5% of the radiation damage's effect on image quality. However, fits to the time series with physically reasonable parameters produce worse performance. Our results highlight the diversity of radiation environments in different parts of our Solar system, and the complexity of Low Earth Orbit in particular. Our results also motivate continued monitoring of radiation damage to currently operational spacecraft, to more reliably predict the rate of degradation in (and useful lifespan of) future missions.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Radiation damage to the Hubble Space Telescope during two Solar cycles, and correction of Charge Transfer Inefficiency using ArCTIc

From 2002 to 2025, the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys has suffered in the harsh radiation environment above the protection of the Earth's atmosphere. We track the degradation of its image quality, as Solar protons and galactic cosmic rays have damaged its photosensitive charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging sensors. The rate of damage in low Earth orbit is modulated by $18.5^{+4.5}_{-0.5}$ per cent during an 11 year Solar cycle, peaking $430^{+11}_{-5}$ days after Solar minimum as recorded in the number of sunspots. The type of damage is consistent with defects in the silicon lattice that have all stabilised into one of three configurations. We also present the open-source Algorithm for Charge Transfer Inefficiency correction (ArCTIc) v7. This models the (instantaneous or gradual) capture of photoelectrons into lattice defects, and their release after (a discrete set or continuum of) characteristic time delays, which creates spurious trailing in an image. Calibrated using the trailing of hot pixels, and applied during post-processing of astronomical images, ArCTIc can correct 99.5% of Charge Transfer Inefficiency trailing averaged over the camera's lifetime, and 99.9% of trailing in the worst-affected recent data.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

Scanning For Dark Matter Subhalos in Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of 54 Strong Lenses

The cold dark matter (DM) model predicts that every galaxy contains thousands of DM subhalos; almost all other DM models include a physical process that smooths away the subhalos. The subhalos are invisible, but could be detected via strong gravitational lensing, if they lie on the line of sight to a multiply-imaged background source, and perturb its apparent shape. We present a predominantly automated strong lens analysis framework, and scan for DM subhalos in Hubble Space Telescope imaging of 54 strong lenses. We identify five DM subhalo candidates, including two especially compelling candidates (one previously known in SLACS0946+1006) where a subhalo is favoured after all of our tests for systematics. We find that the detectability of subhalos depends upon the assumed parametric form for the lens galaxy's mass distribution, especially its degree of azimuthal freedom. Using separate components for dark matter and stellar mass reveals two DM subhalo candidates and removes four false-positives compared to the single power-law mass model that is common in the literature. We identify 45 lenses without substructures, the number of which is key to statistical tests able to rule out models of e.g. warm or self-interacting DM. Our full analysis results are available at https://github.com/Jammy2211/autolens_subhalo.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Abell 1201: Detection of an Ultramassive Black Hole in a Strong Gravitational Lens

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are a key catalyst of galaxy formation and evolution, leading to an observed correlation between SMBH mass $M_{\rm BH}$ and host galaxy velocity dispersion $σ_{\rm e}$. Outside the local Universe, measurements of $M_{\rm BH}$ are usually only possible for SMBHs in an active state: limiting sample size and introducing selection biases. Gravitational lensing makes it possible to measure the mass of non-active SMBHs. We present models of the $z=0.169$ galaxy-scale strong lens Abell~1201. A cD galaxy in a galaxy cluster, it has sufficient `external shear' that a magnified image of a $z = 0.451$ background galaxy is projected just $\sim 1$ kpc from the galaxy centre. Using multi-band Hubble Space Telescope imaging and the lens modeling software $\texttt{PyAutoLens}$ we reconstruct the distribution of mass along this line of sight. Bayesian model comparison favours a point mass with $M_{\rm BH} = 3.27 \pm 2.12\times10^{10}\,$M$_{\rm \odot}$ (3$σ$ confidence limit); an ultramassive black hole. One model gives a comparable Bayesian evidence without a SMBH, however we argue this model is nonphysical given its base assumptions. This model still provides an upper limit of $M_{\rm BH} \leq 5.3 \times 10^{10}\,$M$_{\rm \odot}$, because a SMBH above this mass deforms the lensed image $\sim 1$ kpc from Abell 1201's centre. This builds on previous work using central images to place upper limits on $M_{\rm BH}$, but is the first to also place a lower limit and without a central image being observed. The success of this method suggests that surveys during the next decade could measure thousands more SMBH masses, and any redshift evolution of the $M_{\rm BH}$--$σ_{\rm e}$ relation. Results are available at https://github.com/Jammy2211/autolens_abell_1201.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

PyAutoLens: Open-Source Strong Gravitational Lensing

Strong gravitational lensing, which can make a background source galaxy appears multiple times due to its light rays being deflected by the mass of one or more foreground lens galaxies, provides astronomers with a powerful tool to study dark matter, cosmology and the most distant Universe. PyAutoLens is an open-source Python 3.6+ package for strong gravitational lensing, with core features including fully automated strong lens modeling of galaxies and galaxy clusters, support for direct imaging and interferometer datasets and comprehensive tools for simulating samples of strong lenses. The API allows users to perform ray-tracing by using analytic light and mass profiles to build strong lens systems. Accompanying PyAutoLens is the autolens workspace (see https://github.com/Jammy2211/autolens_workspace), which includes example scripts, lens datasets and the HowToLens lectures in Jupyter notebook format which introduce non experts to strong lensing using PyAutoLens. Readers can try PyAutoLens right now by going to the introduction Jupyter notebook on Binder (see https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/Jammy2211/autolens_workspace/master) or checkout the readthedocs (see https://pyautolens.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) for a complete overview of PyAutoLens's features.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

PyAutoFit: A Classy Probabilistic Programming Language for Model Composition and Fitting

A major trend in academia and data science is the rapid adoption of Bayesian statistics for data analysis and modeling, leading to the development of probabilistic programming languages (PPL). A PPL provides a framework that allows users to easily specify a probabilistic model and perform inference automatically. PyAutoFit is a Python-based PPL which interfaces with all aspects of the modeling (e.g., the model, data, fitting procedure, visualization, results) and therefore provides complete management of every aspect of modeling. This includes composing high-dimensionality models from individual model components, customizing the fitting procedure and performing data augmentation before a model-fit. Advanced features include database tools for analysing large suites of modeling results and exploiting domain-specific knowledge of a problem via non-linear search chaining. Accompanying PyAutoFit is the autofit workspace (see https://github.com/Jammy2211/autofit_workspace), which includes example scripts and the HowToFit lecture series which introduces non-experts to model-fitting and provides a guide on how to begin a project using PyAutoFit. Readers can try PyAutoFit right now by going to the introduction Jupyter notebook on Binder (see https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/Jammy2211/autofit_workspace/HEAD) or checkout our readthedocs(see https://pyautofit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) for a complete overview of PyAutoFit's features.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Galaxy structure with strong gravitational lensing: decomposing the internal mass distribution of massive elliptical galaxies

We investigate how strong gravitational lensing can test contemporary models of massive elliptical (ME) galaxy formation, by combining a traditional decomposition of their visible stellar distribution with a lensing analysis of their mass distribution. As a proof of concept, we study a sample of three ME lenses, observing that all are composed of two distinct baryonic structures, a `red' central bulge surrounded by an extended envelope of stellar material. Whilst these two components look photometrically similar, their distinct lensing effects permit a clean decomposition of their mass structure. This allows us to infer two key pieces of information about each lens galaxy: (i) the stellar mass distribution (without invoking stellar populations models) and (ii) the inner dark matter halo mass. We argue that these two measurements are crucial to testing models of ME formation, as the stellar mass profile provides a diagnostic of baryonic accretion and feedback whilst the dark matter mass places each galaxy in the context of LCDM large scale structure formation. We also detect large rotational offsets between the two stellar components and a lopsidedness in their outer mass distributions, which hold further information on the evolution of each ME. Finally, we discuss how this approach can be extended to galaxies of all Hubble types and what implication our results have for studies of strong gravitational lensing.

astro-ph.GA↗