Strong Lensing, Stellar Dynamics, and the Initial Mass Function in Elliptical Galaxies

This project will use a combination of strong gravitational lensing and stellar dynamical constraints to study the distribution of dark and stellar mass in elliptical galaxies. The student will use state-of-the-art integral field spectroscopy from the MUSE spectrograph to measure the spatially-resolved stellar kinematics for two special cases of lens: (1) nearby lenses in which the lensing mass is dominated by stars, to test for variations in the stellar initial mass function, and (2) double-source plane lenses, where the presence of two background sources yields richer constraints on the mass distribution, as well as possibilities for measuring cosmological parameters. These projects will use existing and incoming data from the ESO Very Large Telescope. Later in the project, the student will use the expertise gained with MUSE to develop a detailed science case for observing strong-lens galaxies with the future Extremely Large Telescope, motivated by Durham's role in the HARMONI spectrograph consortium.