The Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble (CLASH): Strong Lensing Analysis of Abell 383 from 16-Band HST WFC3/ACS Imaging

Understand

We examine the inner mass distribution of the relaxed galaxy cluster Abell 383 in deep 16-band HST/ACS+WFC3 imaging taken as part of the CLASH multi-cycle treasury program.

• Our program is designed to study the dark matter distribution in 25 massive clusters, and balances depth with a wide wavelength coverage to better identify lensed systems and generate precise photometric redshifts.
• This information together with the predictive strength of our strong-lensing analysis method identifies 13 new multiply-lensed images and candidates, so that a total of 27 multiple-images of 9 systems are used to tightly constrain the inner mass profile, $d\log \Sigma/d\log r\simeq -0.6\pm 0.1$ (r<160 kpc).
• We find consistency with the standard distance-redshift relation for the full range spanned by the lensed images, 1.01<z<6.03, with the higher redshift sources deflected through larger angles as expected.