Astrophysical applications of quasar microlensing
Abstract
We present a quick overview of several examples that illustrate the application of quasar microlensing to various problems of great interest in Astrophysics and Cosmology. We start introducing the main tool for simulating quasar microlensing, the magnification map. Then, the flux magnification statistics obtained from the magnification maps is used to study the quasar accretion disk size and temperature profile with results that challenge the thin disk model. The microlensing flux magnification statistics is also useful to determine the radial slope of the dark matter distribution in lens galaxies. The extremely high microlensing magnification at caustics allows to scan with horizon scale accuracy the quasar accretion disk, spiraling around the central super massive black hole, resolving the innermost stable circular orbit. Finally, transverse peculiar velocities of the lens galaxies, of great interest in cosmology, can be inferred either counting peaks in the microlensing light curves or directly from astrometric measurements of the highly magnified relative motions between lensed quasar images.
- Publication:
-
Highlights on Spanish Astrophysics IX
- Pub Date:
- March 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017hsa9.conf...88M