Open AccessGravitational lensing by cosmic strings: what we learn from the CSL‐1 case
Author(s) -
Sazhin M. V.,
Khovanskaya O. S.,
Capaccioli M.,
Longo G.,
Paolillo M.,
Covone G.,
Grogin N. A.,
Schreier E. J.
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11543.x
Subject(s) - physics , cosmic string , cosmology , gravitational lens , weak gravitational lensing , astronomy , cosmic cancer database , dark matter , astrophysics , gravitation , galaxy , superstring theory , redshift , theoretical physics , strong gravitational lensing , string (physics) , particle physics , supersymmetry
Cosmic strings were postulated by Kibble in 1976 and, from a theoretical point of view, their existence finds support in modern superstring theories, both in compactification models and in theories with extended additional dimensions. Their eventual discovery would lead to significant advances in both cosmology and fundamental physics. One of the most effective ways to detect cosmic strings is through their lensing signatures which appear to be significantly different from those introduced by standard lenses (i.e. compact clumps of matter). In 2003, the discovery of the peculiar object CSL‐1 raised the interest of the physics community since its morphology and spectral features strongly argued in favour of it being the first case of gravitational lensing by a cosmic string. In this paper we provide a detailed description of the expected observational effects of a cosmic string and show, by means of simulations, the lensing signatures produced on background galaxies. While high angular resolution images obtained with Hubble Space Telescope , revealed that CSL‐1 is a pair of interacting ellipticals at redshift 0.46, it represents a useful lesson to plan future surveys.