The Detection of a Population of Submillimeter-Bright, Strongly Lensed Galaxies

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1193420
• Publication Date: 2010-11-04T18:49:11Z
• Authors: Mattia Negrello; R. Hopwood; G. De Zotti; A. Cooray; A. Verma; J. Bock; D. T. Frayer; M. A. Gurwell; A. Omont; R. Neri; H. Dannerbauer; L. L. Leeuw; E. Barton; J. Cooke; S. Kim; E. da Cunha; G. Rodighiero; P. Cox; D. G. Bonfield; M. J. Jarvis; S. Serjeant; R. J. Ivison; S. Dye; I. Aretxaga; D. H. Hughes; E. Ibar; F. Bertoldi; I. Valtchanov; S. Eales; L. Dunne; S. P. Driver; R. Auld; S. Buttiglione; A. Cava; C. A. Grady; D. L. Clements; A. Dariush; J. Fritz; D. Hill; J. B. Hornbeck; L. Kelvin; G. Lagache; M. Lopez-Caniego; J. Gonzalez-Nuevo; S. Maddox; E. Pascale; M. Pohlen; E. E. Rigby; A. Robotham; C. Simpson; D. J. B. Smith; P. Temi; M. A. Thompson; B. E. Woodgate; D. G. York; J. E. Aguirre; A. Beelen; A. Blain; A. J. Baker; M. Birkinshaw; R. Blundell; C. M. Bradford; D. Burgarella; L. Danese; J. S. Dunlop; S. Fleuren; J. Glenn; A. I. Harris; J. Kamenetzky; R. E. Lupu; R. J. Maddalena; B. F. Madore; P. R. Maloney; H. Matsuhara; M. J. Michaowski; E. J. Murphy; B. J. Naylor; H. Nguyen; C. Popescu; S. Rawlings; D. Rigopoulou; D. Scott; K. S. Scott; M. Seibert; I. Smail; R. J. Tuffs; J. D. Vieira; P. P. van der Werf; J. Zmuidzinas
• Keywords: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO); TELESCOPE; EXTRAGALACTIC SOURCES; General Science & Technology; PREDICTIONS; FOS: Physical sciences; QUASAR; 530; 01 natural sciences; STAR-FORMATION; Nongalactic; MD Multidisciplinary; 0103 physical sciences; FIELD; COUNTS; Science & Technology; REDSHIFT DEADLOCK; Medicine (all); Multidisciplinary; [PHYS.ASTR.GA] Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.GA]; CATALOG; 520; Cosmology; Astronomía; Multidisciplinary Sciences; [PHYS.ASTR.GA]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.GA]; astro-ph.CO; Science & Technology - Other Topics; [SDU.ASTR.GA]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.GA]; [SDU.ASTR.GA] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.GA]; EMISSION; Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO); Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Through a Lens Brightly

Astronomical sources detected in the submillimeter range are generally thought to be distant, dusty galaxies undergoing a vigorous burst of star formation. They can be detected because the dust absorbs the light from stars and reemits it at longer wavelengths. Their properties are still difficult to ascertain, however, because the combination of interference from dust and the low spatial resolution of submillimeter telescopes prevents further study at other wavelengths. Using data from the Herschel Space Telescope,

Negrello et al.

(p. 800 ) showed that by searching for the brightest sources in a wide enough area in the sky it was possible to detect gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxies with nearly full efficiency. Gravitational lensing occurs when the light of an astronomical object is deflected by a foreground mass. This phenomenon increases the apparent brightness and angular size of the lensed objects, making it easier to study sources that would be otherwise too faint to probe.