THE FAINTEST RADIO SOURCE YET: EXPANDED VERY LARGE ARRAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GRAVITATIONAL LENS SDSS J1004+4112
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Alan Turing Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom)
We present new radio observations of the large-separation gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1004+4112, taken in a total of 6 hr of observations with the Expanded Very Large Array. The maps reach a thermal noise level of approximately 4 {mu}Jy. We detect four of the five lensed images at the 15-35 {mu}Jy level, representing a source of intrinsic flux density, after allowing for lensing magnification, of about 1 {mu}Jy, intrinsically probably the faintest radio source yet detected. This reinforces the utility of gravitational lensing in potentially allowing us to study nJy-level sources before the advent of the Square Kilometre Array. In an optical observation taken three months after the radio observation, image C is the brightest image, whereas the radio map shows flux density ratios consistent with previous optical observations. Future observations separated by a time delay will give the intrinsic flux ratios of the images in this source.
- OSTI ID:
- 21565462
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 739, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L28; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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