Gravitationally Lensed Quasars in Gaia: II. Discovery of 24 Lensed Quasars

Understand

We report the discovery, spectroscopic confirmation and preliminary characterisation of 24 gravitationally lensed quasars identified using Gaia observations.

• Candidates were selected in the Pan-STARRS footprint with quasar-like WISE colours or as photometric quasars from SDSS, requiring either multiple detections in Gaia or a single Gaia detection near a morphological galaxy.
• The Pan-STARRS grizY images were modelled for the most promising candidates and 60 candidate systems were followed up with the William Herschel Telescope.
• 13 of the lenses were discovered as Gaia multiples and 10 as single Gaia detections near galaxies.