Prospects for weak lensing studies with new radio telescopes

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential of upcoming radio telescopes, especially the Square Kilometre Array and e-MERLIN, for weak lensing studies, highlighting a polarization-based technique to mitigate intrinsic alignment contamination.

Contribution

It proposes a novel polarization-based method for radio weak lensing analysis and evaluates the capabilities of new radio telescopes for such studies.

Findings

Square Kilometre Array will enable high-resolution, large-area weak lensing surveys

Polarization observations can help remove intrinsic alignment contamination

The SuperCLASS survey will pioneer radio weak lensing analysis of a galaxy supercluster

Abstract

I outline the prospects for performing weak lensing studies with the new generation of radio telescopes that are coming online now and in the future. I include a description of a proposed technique to use polarization observations in radio weak lensing analyses which could prove extremely useful for removing a contaminating signal from intrinsic alignments. Ultimately, the Square Kilometre Array promises to be an exceptional instrument for performing weak lensing studies due to the high resolution, large area surveys which it will perform. In the nearer term, the e-MERLIN instrument in the UK offers the high sensitivity and sub-arcsec resolution required to prove weak lensing techniques in the radio band. I describe the SuperCLASS survey -- a recently accepted e-MERLIN legacy programme which will perform a pioneering radio weak lensing analysis of a supercluster of galaxies.