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K.C. Zekser (Johns Hopkins University), R.L. White (STScI), T.J. Broadhurst (Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel), N. Benitez, H.C. Ford, D. A. Coe (Johns Hopkins University), ACS Science Team
With improved resolution and sensitivity, the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) has obtained unprecedented imaging of gravitationally lensing clusters. Using the ACS Abell 1689 cluster image, a robust and efficient method of modeling the cluster potential, based on the method of Broadhurst et. al. 2004 (in preparation), is being further developed. Detailed determination of the total mass distribution, including the galaxy component as well as the intracluster gas and dark matter halo contribution, provides insight into the dark matter within the cluster while the modeling also constrains the cosmological parameters due to the wide range of source redshifts, up to z=4.9. Furthermore, the combined sensitivity and resolution provided by the ACS imaging in conjunction with the gravitational lensing by the cluster provides a lens model that can be used to delens the profusion of background objects imaged by the galaxy cluster. The capability to reconstruct magnified, high-redshift sources enables the study of galaxies that are currently beyond observability except under circumstances such as this. Early results on this source reconstruction will be presented.
ACS was developed under NASA contract NAS 5-32865, and this research has been supported by NASA grant NAG5-7697 and by an equipment grant from Sun Microsystems, Inc. The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by AURA Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.