Structure of Quasar Continuum Emission Regions and Cosmology from Optical and X-Ray Microlensing in Gravitationally Lensed Quasars
Abstract
Quasars are the most energetic objects in the universe. They are thought to be powered by the accretion of gas onto super-massive black holes at the centers of galaxies. The structure of these exotic objects is poorly understood because their central engines cannot be resolved with ordinary telescopes. Gravitational telescopes, however, provide the necessary resolution to study the structure of quasar central engines. This project analyzed the microlensing variability in five gravitationally lensed quasar systems to probe the structure of the continuum emission regions at optical and X-ray wavelengths and make time delay estimates in the systems in which sufficient data were available. The flux of each component of the multiply-imaged quasars was measured in many seasons of ground-based optical imagery. Lightcurves were constructed from the flux measurements, and Monte Carlo methods were used to analyze the microlensing variability in the lightcurves. The results of the Monte Carlo routine were analyzed with Bayesian methods, yielding estimates of the time delays and the sizes of the quasar accretion disks in QJ0158 4325 and HE1104 1805.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 02, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA486725
Entities
People
- Michael E. Eyler
Organizations
- United States Naval Academy