COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses

Free access article

Issue		A&A Volume 450, Number 2, May I 2006


Page(s)		461 - 469
Section		Cosmology (including clusters of galaxies)
DOI		http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20052929

A&A 450, 461-469 (2006)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20052929

IV. Models of prospective time-delay lenses

P. Saha^{1, 2}, F. Courbin³, D. Sluse³, S. Dye⁴ and G. Meylan³

¹ Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
² Institüt für Theoretische Physik, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
³ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire, 1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
e-mail: frederic.courbin@epfl.ch
⁴ School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, 5 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3YB, UK

(Received 24 February 2005 / Accepted 16 January 2006 )

Abstract
Aims.To predict time delays for a sample of gravitationally lensed quasars and to evaluate the accuracy that can be realistically achieved on the value of H₀.
Methods.We consider 14 lensed quasars that are candidates for time-delay monitoring and model them in detail using pixelized lens models. For each system, we provide a mass map, arrival-time surface and the distribution of predicted time-delays in a concordance cosmology, assuming H₀^-1=14 Gyr (H₀=70 in local units). Based on the predicted time-delays and on the observational circumstances, we rate each lens as "excellent" or "good" or "unpromising" for time-delay monitoring. Finally, we analyze simulated time delays for the 11 lens rated excellent or good, and show that H₀ can be recovered to a precision of 5%.
Results.In combination with COSMOGRAIL Paper I on the temporal sampling of lensed quasar light curves, the present work will help to optimize the strategy of the monitoring campaigns of lensed quasars.

Key words: cosmology: distance scale -- cosmology: cosmological parameters -- gravitational lensing -- quasars: general

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