Characterization of Newly discovered gravitational lens systems

Abstract

Gravitationally lensed quasars have proven to be one of the most promising tools in astrophysics. They provide a unique opportunity to study the mass distribution of lens galaxies and to probe the inner structure of quasars through microlensing events. However, the frequency of such events has not yet been well constrained. Furthermore, quasar optical spectra can themselves be affected by microlensing, making it necessary to develop new tools capable of analyzing their multiple spectral components and disentangling the different contributions present in the observed spectra. Both problems become increasingly relevant in the era of next-generation surveys, as the large volume of incoming data will put current methodologies to the test. In this work, we investigate how frequently quasars are affected by gravitational microlensing events using magnification maps, which allow us to account for the granularity of the stellar population in the lens galaxy. We also incorporate corrected accretion-disk sizes in order to address the discrepancy between theoretical expectations and observational results. In addition, we study the probability of high- magnification events, which can provide insight into the peculiar velocities of the objects involved in these phenomena. Finally, we present a new methodology for analyzing the thousands of quasar spectra that will be delivered by upcoming instruments, capable of separating their different spectral components. To achieve this, we take advantage of modern graph- ics processing unit (GPU) techniques to obtain fast and reliable results. We validate our results through comparisons with well-established methodologies, demonstrat- ing that GPUs represent a natural next step in astronomical computation and in the analysis of lensed quasars.