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Project Dinos II: Redshift evolution of dark and luminous matter density profiles in strong-lensing elliptical galaxies across 0.1 < z < 0.9

  • William Sheu
  • , Anowar J. Shajib
  • , Tommaso Treu
  • , Alessandro Sonnenfeld
  • , Simon Birrer
  • , Michele Cappellari
  • , Lindsay J. Oldham
  • , Chin Yi Tan
  • University of California at Los Angeles
  • The University of Chicago
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Portsmouth

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a new measurement of the dark and luminous matter distribution of massive elliptical galaxies, and their evolution with redshift, by combining strong lensing and dynamical observables. Our sample of 56 lens galaxies co v ers a redshift range of 0.090 ≤ z1 ≤ 0.884. By combining new Hubble Space Telescope imaging with previously observed v elocity dispersion and line-of-sight measurements, we decompose the luminous matter profile from the dark matter profile and perform a Bayesian hierarchical analysis to constrain the population-level properties of both profiles. We find that the inner slope of the dark matter density profile ('cusp'; (Formula presented)) is consistent ( μγin = 0.97+0.03-0.03 with ≤ 0.07 intrinsic scatter) with a standard Navarro-Frenk White (NFW; γin = 1) at z = 0.35. Additionally, we find an appreciable evolution with redshift (d log (γin ) / dz = -0.44+0.14-0.15) resulting in a shallower slope (of > 2σ tension from NFW) at redshifts z ≥ 0.49. This is in excellent agreement with previous population-le vel observ ational studies, as well as with predictions from hydrodynamical simulations such as IllustrisTNG. We also find the stellar mass-to-light ratio at the population level is consistent with that of a Salpeter initial mass function, a small stellar mass-to-light gradient [ k*( r) α r, with (Formula presented)], and isotropic stellar orbits. Our averaged total mass density profile is consistent with a power-law profile within 0.25 to 4 Einstein radii ((Formula presented)), with an internal mass-sheet transformation parameter (Formula presented) consistent with no mass sheet. Our findings confirm the validity of the standard mass models used for time-delay cosmography.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-27
Number of pages27
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume541
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2025

Keywords

  • cosmology: observations
  • dark matter
  • galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD
  • galaxies: evolution
  • gravitational lensing: strong

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