Abstract

Low-redshift strong-lensing galaxies and the stellar Initial Mass Function
Extragalactic Strong Lensing : From Discovery to Exploitation
Russell Smith
University of Durham
I will report on continuing efforts to identify strongly-lensed background sources behind nearby massive elliptical galaxies, and the exploitation of such systems to constrain the stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF). I will summarise results from the SNELLS survey conducted with SINFONI at the VLT, and new implementations of the IFU lens-search method on other facilities. Using new spectroscopy from Magellan and VLT, I will present updated comparisons between lensing, dynamical and spectroscopic M/L constraints for the first three SNELLS lenses, and discuss implications for the ongoing debate over IMF variation in massive ellipticals.

Schedule

13:30 - 15:00
13:48
Friday
EX - LT2 (200)

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