skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Analytic Models of Plausible Gravitational Lens Potentials

Abstract

Gravitational lenses on galaxy scales are plausibly modeled as having ellipsoidal symmetry and a universal dark matter density profile, with a Sersic profile to describe the distribution of baryonic matter. Predicting all lensing effects requires knowledge of the total lens potential: in this work we give analytic forms for that of the above hybrid model. Emphasizing that complex lens potentials can be constructed from simpler components in linear combination, we provide a recipe for attaining elliptical symmetry in either projected mass or lens potential.We also provide analytic formulae for the lens potentials of Sersic profiles for integer and half-integer index. We then present formulae describing the gravitational lensing effects due to smoothly-truncated universal density profiles in cold dark matter model. For our isolated haloes the density profile falls off as radius to the minus fifth or seventh power beyond the tidal radius, functional forms that allow all orders of lens potential derivatives to be calculated analytically, while ensuring a non-divergent total mass. We show how the observables predicted by this profile differ from that of the original infinite-mass NFW profile. Expressions for the gravitational flexion are highlighted. We show how decreasing the tidal radius allows stripped haloes to be modeled,more » providing a framework for a fuller investigation of dark matter substructure in galaxies and clusters. Finally we remark on the need for finite mass halo profiles when doing cosmological ray-tracing simulations, and the need for readily-calculable higher order derivatives of the lens potential when studying catastrophes in strong lenses.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
903002
Report Number(s):
SLAC-PUB-12497
Journal ID: ISSN 0035-8711; MNRAA4; arXiv:0705.0682; TRN: US200719%%121
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-76SF00515
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; Journal ID: ISSN 0035-8711
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; GALAXIES; GRAVITATIONAL LENSES; NONLUMINOUS MATTER; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; Astrophysics,ASTRO

Citation Formats

Baltz, Edward A, Marshall, Phil, and Oguri, Masamune. Analytic Models of Plausible Gravitational Lens Potentials. United States: N. p., 2007. Web.
Baltz, Edward A, Marshall, Phil, & Oguri, Masamune. Analytic Models of Plausible Gravitational Lens Potentials. United States.
Baltz, Edward A, Marshall, Phil, and Oguri, Masamune. 2007. "Analytic Models of Plausible Gravitational Lens Potentials". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/903002.
@article{osti_903002,
title = {Analytic Models of Plausible Gravitational Lens Potentials},
author = {Baltz, Edward A and Marshall, Phil and Oguri, Masamune},
abstractNote = {Gravitational lenses on galaxy scales are plausibly modeled as having ellipsoidal symmetry and a universal dark matter density profile, with a Sersic profile to describe the distribution of baryonic matter. Predicting all lensing effects requires knowledge of the total lens potential: in this work we give analytic forms for that of the above hybrid model. Emphasizing that complex lens potentials can be constructed from simpler components in linear combination, we provide a recipe for attaining elliptical symmetry in either projected mass or lens potential.We also provide analytic formulae for the lens potentials of Sersic profiles for integer and half-integer index. We then present formulae describing the gravitational lensing effects due to smoothly-truncated universal density profiles in cold dark matter model. For our isolated haloes the density profile falls off as radius to the minus fifth or seventh power beyond the tidal radius, functional forms that allow all orders of lens potential derivatives to be calculated analytically, while ensuring a non-divergent total mass. We show how the observables predicted by this profile differ from that of the original infinite-mass NFW profile. Expressions for the gravitational flexion are highlighted. We show how decreasing the tidal radius allows stripped haloes to be modeled, providing a framework for a fuller investigation of dark matter substructure in galaxies and clusters. Finally we remark on the need for finite mass halo profiles when doing cosmological ray-tracing simulations, and the need for readily-calculable higher order derivatives of the lens potential when studying catastrophes in strong lenses.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/903002}, journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
issn = {0035-8711},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2007},
month = {Fri May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2007}
}