STRONG GRAVITATIONAL LENSING BY THE SUPER-MASSIVE cD GALAXY IN ABELL 3827

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/715/2/L160· OSTI ID:21448695

Carrasco, E R; Gomez, P L; Lee, H; Diaz, R; Bergmann, M; Turner, J E. H.; Miller, B W; West, M J ^[1]; Verdugo, T ^[2]

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1. Gemini Observatory, Southern Operations Center, AURA, Casilla 603, La Serena (Chile)
2. Departamento de FIsica y Astronomia, Universidad de ValparaIso, Avenida Gran Bretana 1111, ValparaIso (Chile)

We have discovered strong gravitational lensing features in the core of the nearby cluster Abell 3827 by analyzing Gemini South GMOS images. The most prominent strong lensing feature is a highly magnified, ring-shaped configuration of four images around the central cD galaxy. GMOS spectroscopic analysis puts this source at z {approx} 0.2. Located {approx}20'' away from the central galaxy is a secondary tangential arc feature which has been identified as a background galaxy with z {approx} 0.4. We have modeled the gravitational potential of the cluster core, taking into account the mass from the cluster, the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), and other galaxies. We derive a total mass of (2.7 {+-} 0.4) x 10{sup 13} M {sub sun} within 37 h {sup -1} kpc. This mass is an order of magnitude larger than that derived from X-ray observations. The total mass derived from lensing data suggests that the BCG in this cluster is perhaps the most massive galaxy in the nearby universe.

• OSTI ID: 21448695
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 715, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/715/2/L160; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
GALAXY CLUSTERS
MASS
UNIVERSE
EVOLUTION