69057 - Gravitational Lensing

Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Docente: Massimo Meneghetti
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: FIS/05
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Astrophysics and cosmology (cod. 8018)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will acquire the basic knowledge of the theory of gravitational lensing, and will be able to discuss the applications of lensing in different astrophysical branches. In particular, the student will be  able to distinguish between different regimes of lensing (strong, weak, etc) and will learn through examples how to carry out lensing analyses. The basics of the Python programming language will also be taught to allow the students to better understand the examples and work on small projects.

Course contents

  1. Introduction to gravitational lensing; Fermat principle and light deflection
  2. General concepts: lens equation; lensing potential; magnification and distortion; mass sheet degeneracy; second order lensing; occurrence of images
  3. Lens models: point mass; system of point masses; axially symmetric lenses; particular cases of axially symmetric lenses
  4. Microlensing: lensing by stars and MACHOS; searches for DM; binary lenses; extra-solar planets; extra-galactic microlensing
  5. Lensing by galaxies: macro, milli and micro lensing by galaxies; substructures; the nature of DM from lensing by galaxies; cosmography; cosmic telescopes; exotic lenses; weak lensing by galaxies
  6. Lensing by galaxy clusters: strong lensing; the core structure form lensing; mass profiles; interplay between DM and baryons; cosmological applications of strong lensing; weak lensing; the mass of galaxy clusters from weak lensing; constraints on the nature of DM; searches for clusters using lensing
  7. Cosmological weak lensing; light propagation in an inhomogeneous universe; cosmic shear; second order cosmic shear measurements; cosmology with cosmic shear; E and B modes; lensing tomography

Readings/Bibliography

  1. Lecture notes
  2. Articles from the literature

Teaching methods

Face-to-face lectures

Assessment methods

Interview

Links to further information

https://github.com/maxmen/LensingLectures

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Meneghetti