Staff View
Probing small-scale structure in galaxies with strong gravitational lensing

Descriptive

TitleInfo (displayLabel = Citation Title); (type = uniform)
Title
Probing small-scale structure in galaxies with strong gravitational lensing
Name (ID = NAME001); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Congdon
NamePart (type = given)
Arthur Benjamin
DisplayForm
Arthur Benjamin Congdon
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RUETD)
author
Name (ID = NAME002); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Keeton
NamePart (type = given)
Charles
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Charles R Keeton
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
chair
Name (ID = NAME003); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Sellwood
NamePart (type = given)
Jerry
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Jerry A Sellwood
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name (ID = NAME004); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Pryor
NamePart (type = given)
Carlton
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Carlton Pryor
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name (ID = NAME005); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Kloet
NamePart (type = given)
Willem
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Willem M Kloet
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name (ID = NAME006); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Sheth
NamePart (type = given)
Ravi
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
DisplayForm
Ravi K Sheth
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
outside member
Name (ID = NAME007); (type = corporate)
NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
degree grantor
Name (ID = NAME008); (type = corporate)
NamePart
Graduate School - New Brunswick
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
school
TypeOfResource
Text
Genre (authority = marcgt)
theses
OriginInfo
DateCreated (qualifier = exact)
2008
DateOther (qualifier = exact); (type = degree)
2008-05
Language
LanguageTerm
English
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = marcform)
electronic
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
xiv, 180 pages
Abstract
We use gravitational lensing to study the small-scale distribution of matter in galaxies. First, we examine galaxies and their dark matter halos. Roughly half of all observed four-image quasar lenses have image flux ratios that differ from the values predicted by simple lens potentials. We show that smooth departures from elliptical symmetry fail to explain anomalous radio fluxes, strengthening the case for dark matter substructure. Our results have important implications for the ``missing satellites'' problem. We then consider how time delays between lensed images can be used to identify lens galaxies containing small-scale structure. We derive an analytic relation for the time delay between the close pair of images in a ``fold'' lens, and perform Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the utility of time delays for probing small-scale structure in realistic lens populations. We compare our numerical predictions with systems that have measured time delays and discover two anomalous lenses. Next, we consider microlensing, where stars in the lens galaxy perturb image magnifications. This is relevant at optical wavelengths, where the size of the lensed source is comparable to the Einstein radius of a typical star. Our simulations of negative-parity images show that raising the fraction of dark matter relative to stars increases image flux variability for small sources, and decreases it for large sources. This suggests that quasar accretion disks and broad-emission-line regions may respond differently to microlensing. We also consider extended sources with a range of ellipticities, which has relevance to a population of inclined accretion disks. Depending on their orientation, more elongated sources lead to more rapid variability, which may complicate the interpretation of microlensing light curves. Finally, we consider prospects for observing strong lensing by the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sgr A*. Assuming a black hole on the million-solar-mass scale, we predict that the probability of observing strong lensing of a background star is roughly 56%. We also consider how lensing by Sgr A* could be used to test general relativity against alternative theories, concluding that microarcsecond resolution would make this possible.
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references.
Subject (ID = SUBJ1); (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Physics and Astronomy
Subject (ID = SUBJ2); (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Galaxies
Subject (ID = SUBJ3); (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Gravitational lenses
Subject (ID = SUBJ4); (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Microlensing (Astrophysics)
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore19991600001
Identifier (type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.17293
Identifier
ETD_926
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
NjNbRU
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T3GQ6Z3W
Genre (authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD doctoral
Back to the top

Rights

RightsDeclaration (AUTHORITY = GS); (ID = rulibRdec0006)
The author owns the copyright to this work.
Copyright
Status
Copyright protected
Availability
Status
Open
AssociatedEntity (AUTHORITY = rulib); (ID = 1)
Name
Arthur Congdon
Role
Copyright holder
Affiliation
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
RightsEvent (AUTHORITY = rulib); (ID = 1)
Type
Permission or license
Detail
Non-exclusive ETD license
AssociatedObject (AUTHORITY = rulib); (ID = 1)
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
Back to the top

Technical

Format (TYPE = mime); (VERSION = )
application/x-tar
FileSize (UNIT = bytes)
2613248
Checksum (METHOD = SHA1)
f9582c16e406d27cde39167c3f573d0620c2f158
ContentModel
ETD
CompressionScheme
other
OperatingSystem (VERSION = 5.1)
windows xp
Format (TYPE = mime); (VERSION = NULL)
application/x-tar
Back to the top
Version 8.5.5
Rutgers University Libraries - Copyright ©2024