280543 VU Gravitational Lensing in the Rubin/LSST Era (2024W)

Context:

This course is offered by Prof. Graham Smith from the University of Birmingham. He will be the Ida Pfeiffer Professor, visiting the University of Vienna during the Winter Semester 2024/25.

Aims:

Gravitational lensing is a powerful and well established tool for modern astrophysics and cosmology, with gravitational magnification and the formation of multiple images of distant objects providing access to information that is not available via other probes.

This course will equip students to understand and engage with gravitational lensing science that is enabled by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s (Rubin’s) imminent Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), and contemporaneous surveys / observing facilities.

In general, Rubin/LSST will revolutionise most aspects of astronomical research in the coming decade, and will drive significant innovation in data science and artificial intelligence. Gravitational lensing will contribute by enlarging the number of known gravitational lenses by more than two orders of magnitude. This will enable many exciting discoveries that will include gravitationally lensed galaxies, supernovae, quasars, binary compact object mergers, and potentially individual stars and exoplanets in the distant universe.

In summary, the aims of the course are:

1) to introduce students to the essential theory and phenomenology of gravitational lensing;
2) to review the state of the art in a broad range of gravitationally lensed objects in the distant universe;
3) to explore the future of gravitational lensing in the Rubin/LSST era.

The course is accessible to students with diverse backgrounds and scientific interests (from planets to cosmology). In particular, it is NOT essential to have previously studied General Relativity. Equally, whilst the essential theory will be covered (in an accessible manner), the course is not heavily mathematical. The course will emphasise phenomenology and the exciting science that can be achieved with gravitational lensing observations in the coming decade.

Content:

Part 1. Gravitational lensing theory and phenomenology: October 9, 16, 23, 30 [Lectures]

Part 2. Gravitationally lensing science applications: November 6, 13, 20, 27; December 4 [Student presentations and discussion]

Part 3. Gravitational lensing mini-projects: January 8, 15, 22, 29 [Hands on work and discussions]

Note that the focus is on strong gravitational lensing, supplemented by some content on micro-lensing. Weak-lensing will be mentioned in passing.