SDSS J094604.90+183541.8: A GRAVITATIONALLY LENSED QUASAR AT z = 4.8

Journal Article · Sun Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/370· OSTI ID:21443275

McGreer, Ian D; Xiaohui, Fan; Fuyan, Bian; Farnsworth, Kara ^[1]; Hall, Patrick B ^[2]; Inada, Naohisa ^[3]; Oguri, Masamune ^[4]; Strauss, Michael A ^[5]; Schneider, Donald P ^[6]

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1. Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3 (Canada)
3. Cosmic Radiation Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan)
4. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)
5. Princeton University Observatory, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
6. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

We report the discovery of a gravitationally lensed quasar identified serendipitously in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The object, SDSS J094604.90+183541.8, was initially targeted for spectroscopy as a luminous red galaxy, but the SDSS spectrum has the features of both a z = 0.388 galaxy and a z = 4.8 quasar. We have obtained additional imaging that resolves the system into two quasar images separated by 3.''06 and a bright galaxy that is strongly blended with one of the quasar images. We confirm spectroscopically that the two quasar images represent a single-lensed source at z = 4.8 with a total magnification of 3.2, and we derive a model for the lensing galaxy. This is the highest redshift lensed quasar currently known. We examine the issues surrounding the selection of such an unusual object from existing data and briefly discuss implications for lensed quasar surveys.

• OSTI ID: 21443275
• Journal Information: Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Journal Name: Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online) Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 140; ISSN 1538-3881
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
GALAXIES
IMAGES
QUASARS
RED SHIFT
SPECTROSCOPY