MUSE observations of the lensing cluster SMACSJ2031.8-4036: new constraints on the mass distribution in the cluster core

We present new observations of the lensing cluster SMACSJ2031.8-4036 obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) integral field spectrograph as part of its commissioning on the Very Large Telescope. By providing medium-resolution spectroscopy over the full 4750–9350 Å domain and a 1 ×...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2015-01, Vol.446 (1), p.L16-L20
Main Authors: Richard, Johan, Patricio, Vera, Martinez, Johany, Bacon, Roland, Clément, Benjamin, Weilbacher, Peter, Soto, Kurt, Wisotzki, Lutz, Vernet, Joël, Pello, Roser, Schaye, Joop, Turner, Monica, Martinsson, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics
Physics
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Summary:We present new observations of the lensing cluster SMACSJ2031.8-4036 obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) integral field spectrograph as part of its commissioning on the Very Large Telescope. By providing medium-resolution spectroscopy over the full 4750–9350 Å domain and a 1 × 1 arcmin2 field of view, MUSE is ideally suited for identifying lensed galaxies in the cluster core, in particular multiple-imaged systems. We perform a redshift analysis of all sources in the data cube and identify a total of 12 systems ranging from z = 1.46 to 6.4, with all images of each system confirmed by a spectroscopic redshift. This allows us to accurately constrain the cluster mass profile in this region. We foresee that future MUSE observations of cluster cores should help us discover very faint Lyman α emitters thanks to the strong magnification and the high sensitivity of this instrument.
ISSN:1745-3925
0035-8711
1745-3933
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnrasl/slu150