Open AccessThe use of light polarization in weak‐lensing inversions
Author(s) -
Audit Edouard,
Simmons John F. L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02226.x
Subject(s) - physics , gravitational lens , weak gravitational lensing , polarization (electrochemistry) , polarimetry , strong gravitational lensing , gravitational lensing formalism , galaxy , astrophysics , quasar , optics , redshift , scattering , chemistry
ABSTRACT The measurement of the integrated optical polarization of weakly gravitationally lensed galaxies can provide considerable constraints on lens models. The method outlined depends on the fact that the orientation of the direction of optical polarization is not affected by weak gravitational lensing. The angle between the semi‐major axis of the imaged galaxy and the direction of integrated optical polarization thus informs one of the distortion produced by the gravitational lensing. Although the method depends on the polarimetric measurement of faint galaxies, large telescopes and improved techniques should make such measurements possible in the near future.