AAS 201st Meeting, January, 2003
Session 80. Gravitational Lenses
Poster, Wednesday, January 8, 2003, 9:20am-6:30pm, Exhibit Hall AB

[Previous] | [Session 80] | [Next]


[80.09] Small Groups of Galaxies Associated with the Gravitational Lenses CLASS B1608+656 and CLASS B1600+434

C. D. Fassnacht, L. M. Lubin (UC-Davis), G. K. Squires (SIRTF Science Center), A. C. S. Readhead (Caltech)

In addition to their usefulness in the determination of cosmological parameters, gravitational lenses may be used as tools to find groups of galaxies that are associated with the primary lensing galaxy. With this new techique, it is possible to find small groups at moderate redshifts, where cosmological dimming and the high density of background galaxies would otherwise make such groups difficult to detect. In this paper we describe the results of a continuing program to find galaxy groups at redshifts between 0.3 and 1.0. Our data suggest that the gravitational lens systems CLASS B1608+656, at z=0.63, and CLASS B1600+434, at z=0.41, are associated with small groups of galaxies. We will describe the photometric, spectroscopic, and morphological properties of the group galaxies. In addition, we will present the overall group properties, and compare these to the properties of local groups of galaxies.


[Previous] | [Session 80] | [Next]

Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.