Papers
Topics
Authors
Recent
Search
2000 character limit reached

COOL-LAMPS IX: A Rare Duo of Quasars Each Lensed by a Single Massive Galaxy Cluster

Published 13 May 2026 in astro-ph.GA | (2605.13514v1)

Abstract: Wide-separation lensed quasars (WSLQs) are rare systems that arise from the chance alignment of two objects: a galaxy cluster and a background quasar. After two decades, only seven WSLQs have been found. Here, we report the discovery of COOLJ1153+0755 by the COOL-LAMPS collaboration in DECaLS imaging and its confirmation with follow-up observations with the Magellan Telescopes and the Nordic Optical Telescope. This system features two multiply-imaged quasars each lensed into four images by the same z=0.4301z=0.4301 cluster: a classic broad-line Type I quasar at z=1.524z=1.524 (COOLJ1153A) and a dust-obscured Type II quasar at z=1.939z=1.939 (COOLJ1153B), with maximum image separations of $25.''6$ and $26.''0$, respectively. We construct a lens model to estimate a projected cluster mass of $M(&lt;500\,{\rm kpc})\sim3.3\times10<sup>{14}{\rm</sup> M}<em>{\odot}$ and relative time delays between the three brightest images of each quasar of Δt</em>A3,A1800Δt</em>{\rm \,A3,A1}\sim800, ΔtA2,A11200Δt_{\rm \,A2,A1}\sim1200, ΔtB1,B3800Δt_{\rm \,B1,B3}\sim800, and ΔtB2,B31000Δt_{\rm \,B2,B3}\sim1000 days. COOLJ1153A resides in a dense environment with three nearby galaxies, two of which are also strongly lensed. We identify COOLJ1153+0755 without making a morphological cut in the DECaLS catalog; none of its multiple images are classified as point sources in those data, implying that morphology-based selection would miss such systems. COOLJ1153+0755 expands the WSLQ sample from 7 to 8 systems (9 individual quasars), adding two powerful laboratories for probing black hole-galaxy co-evolution at Cosmic Noon and for time-delay cosmography constraints on the Hubble constant, H0H_0.

Summary

No one has generated a summary of this paper yet.

Paper to Video (Beta)

No one has generated a video about this paper yet.

Whiteboard

No one has generated a whiteboard explanation for this paper yet.

Open Problems

We haven't generated a list of open problems mentioned in this paper yet.

Continue Learning

We haven't generated follow-up questions for this paper yet.