THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY QUASAR LENS SEARCH. II. STATISTICAL LENS SAMPLE FROM THE THIRD DATA RELEASE

We report the first results of our systematic search for strongly lensed quasars using the spectroscopically confirmed quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Among 46,420 quasars from the SDSS Data Release 3 (~4188 deg^2), we select a subsample of 22,683 quasars that are located at redshifts between 0.6 and 2.2 and are brighter than the Galactic extinction-corrected i-band magnitude of 19.1. We identify 220 lens candidates from the quasar subsample, for which we conduct extensive and systematic follow-up observations in optical and near-infrared wavebands, in order to construct a complete lensed quasar sample at image separations between 1" and 20" and flux ratios of faint to bright lensed images larger than 10^(−0.5). We construct a statistical sample of 11 lensed quasars. Ten of these are galaxy-scale lenses with small image separations (~ 1"-2") and one is a large separation (15") system which is produced by a massive cluster of galaxies, representing the first statistical sample of lensed quasars including both galaxy- and cluster-scale lenses. The Data Release 3 spectroscopic quasars contain an additional 11 lensed quasars outside the statistical sample.

[1]  B. Poggianti.  K and evolutionary corrections from uv to ir , 1996, astro-ph/9608029.

[2]  Tucson,et al.  Dust and Extinction Curves in Galaxies with z > 0: The Interstellar Medium of Gravitational Lens Galaxies , 1999, astro-ph/9901037.

[3]  PMN J0134?0931: A Gravitationally Lensed Quasar with Unusual Radio Morphology , 2001, astro-ph/0107435.

[4]  The Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey - II. Gravitational lens candidate selection and follow-up , 2002, astro-ph/0211069.

[5]  J. Frieman,et al.  Discovery of Two Gravitationally Lensed Quasars with Image Separations of 3'' from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2004, astro-ph/0411250.

[6]  Global Probes of the Impact of Baryons on Dark Matter Halos , 2001, astro-ph/0102334.

[7]  A. Crotts,et al.  Metal absorption systems in spectra of pairs of QSOs: how absorbers cluster around QSOs and other absorbers , 2007, 0711.2308.

[8]  C. Kochanek,et al.  Why Quasar Pairs are Binary Quasars and Not Gravitational Lenses , 1997, astro-ph/9710165.

[9]  Oxford,et al.  The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey – XII. The spectroscopic catalogue and luminosity function , 2004, astro-ph/0403040.

[10]  Internal and Collective Properties of Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2006, astro-ph/0611607.

[11]  UCLA,et al.  The Sloan Lens ACS Survey. I. A Large Spectroscopically Selected Sample of Massive Early-Type Lens Galaxies , 2005, astro-ph/0511453.

[12]  J. B. Oke,et al.  The double quasar Q0957 + 561 A, B - A gravitational lens image formed by a galaxy at z = 0.39 , 1980 .

[13]  R. Nichol,et al.  An Empirical Calibration of the Completeness of the SDSS Quasar Survey , 2005, astro-ph/0501113.

[14]  QSO absorption lines from QSOs , 2006, astro-ph/0605730.

[15]  H. Hagen,et al.  Discovery of a new quadruply lensed QSO: HS 0810+2554 – A brighter twin to PG 1115+080 , 2002 .

[16]  D. Tucker,et al.  THE SLOAN BRIGHT ARCS SURVEY: SIX STRONGLY LENSED GALAXIES AT z = 0.4–1.4 , 2008, 0812.3934.

[17]  Alexander S. Szalay,et al.  Sloan digital sky survey: Early data release , 2002 .

[18]  B. McLeod,et al.  The Extinction Law in High-Redshift Galaxies , 2004, astro-ph/0401548.

[19]  T. Schrabback,et al.  AUTOMATED DETECTION OF GALAXY-SCALE GRAVITATIONAL LENSES IN HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING DATA , 2008, 0805.1469.

[20]  SDSS J1650+4251: A New Gravitational Lens* , 2003, astro-ph/0305036.

[21]  D. York,et al.  THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY QUASAR LENS SEARCH. III. CONSTRAINTS ON DARK ENERGY FROM THE THIRD DATA RELEASE QUASAR LENS CATALOG , 2007, 0708.0825.

[22]  E. Ofek,et al.  SDSS J131339.98+515128.3: a new gravitationally lensed quasar selected based on near-infrared excess , 2007, 0709.0525.

[23]  A. Myers,et al.  The 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO (2SLAQ) survey: the z < 2.1 quasar luminosity function from 5645 quasars to g=21.85 , 2005, astro-ph/0504300.

[24]  F. M. Maley,et al.  An Efficient Targeting Strategy for Multiobject Spectrograph Surveys: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey “Tiling” Algorithm , 2001, astro-ph/0105535.

[25]  SDSS J1335+0118: A New Two-Image Gravitational Lens , 2003, astro-ph/0311169.

[26]  Judith G. Cohen,et al.  Keck Spectroscopy of the Gravitational Lens System PG 1115+080: Redshifts of the Lensing Galaxies. , 1997, astro-ph/9704109.

[27]  K. Chae.  Galaxy evolution from strong‐lensing statistics: the differential evolution of the velocity dispersion function in concord with the Λ cold dark matter paradigm , 2008, 0811.0560.

[28]  J. Gunn,et al.  A Photometricity and Extinction Monitor at the Apache Point Observatory , 2001, astro-ph/0106511.

[29]  Shin-Ichi Ichikawa,et al.  Discovery of a Gravitationally Lensed Quasar from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: SDSS J133222.62+034739.9 , 2006, astro-ph/0609695.

[30]  A. Szalay,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Survey: Quasar Luminosity Function from Data Release 3 , 2006, astro-ph/0601434.

[31]  COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses. III. Redshift of the lensing galaxy , 2005, astro-ph/0511026.

[32]  et al,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric Camera , 1998, astro-ph/9809085.

[33]  Edward J. Wollack,et al.  FIVE-YEAR WILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE * OBSERVATIONS: COSMOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION , 2008, 0803.0547.

[34]  Neta A. Bahcall,et al.  FIVE NEW HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR LENSES FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY , 2008, 0809.0912.

[35]  J. Frieman,et al.  THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY QUASAR LENS SEARCH. II. STATISTICAL LENS SAMPLE FROM THE THIRD DATA RELEASE , 2007, 0708.0828.

[36]  Bhasker K. Moorthy,et al.  The First Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2003, astro-ph/0305492.

[37]  E. Turner.  Gravitational lensing limits on the cosmological constant in a flat universe , 1990 .

[38]  Improved Cosmological Constraints from Gravitational Lens Statistics , 2004, astro-ph/0401138.

[39]  J. Lehár,et al.  The Evolution of a Mass-selected Sample of Early-Type Field Galaxies , 2002, astro-ph/0211229.

[40]  S. Roweis,et al.  An Improved Photometric Calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Imaging Data , 2007, astro-ph/0703454.

[41]  K. Abazajian,et al.  THE SEVENTH DATA RELEASE OF THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY , 2008, 0812.0649.

[42]  A. Myers,et al.  Quasar Clustering at 25 h−1 kpc from a Complete Sample of Binaries , 2007, 0709.3474.

[43]  The image separation distribution of strong lenses: halo versus subhalo populations , 2005, astro-ph/0508528.

[44]  D. Schlegel,et al.  Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds , 1997, astro-ph/9710327.

[45]  J. Angel,et al.  The triple QSO PG1115 + 08: another probable gravitational lens , 1980, Nature.

[46]  Gepi,et al.  The CFHTLS strong lensing legacy survey - I. Survey overview and T0002 release sample , 2006, astro-ph/0610362.

[47]  B. Yanny,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey monitor telescope pipeline , 2006 .

[48]  M. SubbaRao,et al.  Spectroscopic Target Selection in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Quasar Sample , 2002, astro-ph/0202251.

[49]  Daming Chen.  Flux-limited strong gravitational lensing and dark energy , 2003, astro-ph/0306445.

[50]  Y. Mellier,et al.  First Catalog of Strong Lens Candidates in the COSMOS Field , 2008, 0802.2174.

[51]  Observations and Theoretical Implications of the Large-Separation Lensed Quasar SDSS J1004+4112 , 2003, astro-ph/0312429.

[52]  Takashi Ichikawa,et al.  GALAXY COLORS IN VARIOUS PHOTOMETRIC BAND SYSTEMS , 1995 .

[53]  A. Szalay,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog. IV. Fifth Data Release , 2007, 0704.0806.

[54]  The Gravitational Lens Candidate FBQ 1633+3134* , 2000, astro-ph/0011239.

[55]  S. Mao,et al.  Constraints on the velocity profiles of galaxies from strong lensing statistics and semi-analytical modelling of galaxy formation , 2006, astro-ph/0605405.

[56]  J. Brinkmann,et al.  Binary Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Evidence for Excess Clustering on Small Scales , 2005, astro-ph/0504535.

[57]  M. Serra-Ricart,et al.  Support for the Gravitational Lens Interpretation of SBS 0909+532 , 1997 .

[58]  J. Gott,et al.  The Statistics of gravitational lenses: The Distributions of image angular separations and lens redshifts , 1984 .

[59]  P. Magain,et al.  A new case of gravitational lensing , 1987, Nature.

[60]  Jr.,et al.  Sdss j0806+2006 and sdss j1353+1138: two new gravitationally lensed quasars from the sloan digital sky survey , 2005, astro-ph/0512239.

[61]  R. Lupton,et al.  Astrometric Calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2002, astro-ph/0211375.

[62]  Edwin L. Turner,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Lens Search. I. Candidate Selection Algorithm , 2006 .

[63]  Alejandro Clocchiatti,et al.  DISCOVERY OF FOUR GRAVITATIONALLY LENSED QUASARS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY , 2007, 0708.0871.

[64]  COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses - II. SDSS J0924+0219: the redshift of the lensing galaxy, the quasar spectral variability and the Einstein rings , 2005, astro-ph/0510641.

[65]  C. Fassnacht,et al.  A Keck Survey of Gravitational Lens Systems. I. Spectroscopy of SBS 0909+532, HST 1411+5211, and CLASS B2319+051 , 1999, astro-ph/9910523.

[66]  Caltech,et al.  A new gravitational lens from the MUSCLES survey: ULAS J082016.1+081216 , 2009, 0906.2647.

[67]  R. Ryan,et al.  Is the Optically Unidentified Radio Source FIRST J121839.7+295325 a Dark Lens? , 2008, 0806.3781.

[68]  D. Schlegel,et al.  Maps of Dust Infrared Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Foregrounds , 1998 .

[69]  M. Fukugita,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric System , 1996 .

[70]  Robert J. Brunner,et al.  Quasars Probing Quasars. I. Optically Thick Absorbers near Luminous Quasars , 2006, astro-ph/0603742.

[71]  Christopher S. Kochanek,et al.  Strong Gravitational Lensing , 2006 .

[72]  J. A. Smith,et al.  SDSS data management and photometric quality assessment , 2004 .

[73]  C. Alcock.  Gravitational lenses , 1982, Nature.

[74]  Jr.,et al.  SDSS J102111.02+491330.4: A Newly Discovered Gravitationally Lensed Quasar , 2005, astro-ph/0509296.

[75]  M. Irwin,et al.  The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) , 2006, astro-ph/0604426.

[76]  L. Ho,et al.  Detailed structural decomposition of galaxy images , 2002, astro-ph/0204182.

[77]  E. al.,et al.  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical summary , 2000, astro-ph/0006396.

[78]  A gravitationally lensed quasar with quadruple images separated by 14.62 arcseconds , 2003, Nature.

[79]  J. Hjorth,et al.  A SEARCH FOR DISK-GALAXY LENSES IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY , 2008, 0810.0780.

[80]  J. Frieman,et al.  SDSS J115517.35+634622.0: A Newly Discovered Gravitationally Lensed Quasar , 2003, astro-ph/0312176.

[81]  M. Oguri.  Is there a quad problem among optical gravitational lenses? , 2007, 0705.4252.

[82]  D. Marlow,et al.  The JVAS/CLASS search for 6-arcsec to 15-arcsec image separation lensing , 2001 .

[83]  F. Miller Maley,et al.  An Efficient Algorithm for Positioning Tiles in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2001 .

[84]  D. York,et al.  Two New Gravitationally Lensed Double Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2006, astro-ph/0609696.

[85]  Richard L. White,et al.  The FIRST Survey: Faint Images of the Radio Sky at twenty centimeters , 1995 .

[86]  Mathematics,et al.  ULAS J234311.93-005034.0: a gravitational lens system selected from UKIDSS and SDSS , 2008, 0803.4406.

[87]  Max Tegmark,et al.  Why Is the Fraction of Four-Image Radio Lens Systems So High? , 2000, astro-ph/0008329.

[88]  The Reddest Quasars , 2001, astro-ph/0107441.

[89]  D. Rusin.  The Expected Properties of Dark Lenses , 2002, astro-ph/0202360.

[90]  A. Bolton,et al.  Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Preprint typeset using L ATEX style emulateapj v. 10/09/06 THE SLOAN LENS ACS SURVEY. V. THE FULL ACS STRONG-LENS SAMPLE 1 , 2022 .

[91]  D. York,et al.  The Redshift of a Lensing Galaxy in PMN J0134–0931 , 2002, astro-ph/0207317.

[92]  M. Oguri.  Gravitational Lens Time Delays: A Statistical Assessment of Lens Model Dependences and Implications for the Global Hubble Constant , 2006, astro-ph/0609694.

[93]  SDSS J092455.87+021924.9: An Interesting Gravitationally Lensed Quasar from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2003, astro-ph/0304377.

[94]  A. Szalay,et al.  SDSS J024634.11−082536.2: A New Gravitationally Lensed Quasar from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2005, astro-ph/0506631.

[95]  A. Szalay,et al.  SDSS J090334.92+502819.2: A New Gravitational Lens , 2003, astro-ph/0307371.

[96]  M. Raddick,et al.  The Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2007, 0707.3380.

[97]  S. Djorgovski,et al.  The Hubble Space Telescope Snapshot Survey. IV - A summary of the search for gravitationally lensed quasars , 1993 .

[98]  Walter A. Siegmund,et al.  The 2.5 m Telescope of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey , 2006, astro-ph/0602326.

[99]  R. Nichol,et al.  Detection of the Baryon Acoustic Peak in the Large-Scale Correlation Function of SDSS Luminous Red Galaxies , 2005, astro-ph/0501171.

[100]  D. Walsh,et al.  0957 + 561 A, B: twin quasistellar objects or gravitational lens? , 1979, Nature.

[101]  R. Nichol,et al.  Cosmological constraints from the SDSS luminous red galaxies , 2006, astro-ph/0608632.

[102]  P. Hall,et al.  EIGHT NEW QUASAR LENSES FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY QUASAR LENS SEARCH , 2009, 0912.1462.

[103]  C. Fassnacht,et al.  The Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey - I. Source selection and observations , 2002, astro-ph/0211073.