RCS2 J232727.6-020437: An Efficient Cosmic Telescope at $z=0.6986$

TL;DR

This paper models the gravitational lensing effect of galaxy cluster RCS2 J232727.6-020437 at z=0.6986, identifying high-redshift galaxy candidates and analyzing their properties with HST and MOSFIRE data, revealing insights into early universe galaxies.

Contribution

It provides a detailed lens model of the cluster, identifies four faint z~7 galaxy candidates, and assesses their magnification and spectral properties, advancing high-redshift galaxy studies.

Findings

Discovered four highly magnified z~7 galaxy candidates.

Established the cluster's lensing efficiency comparable to Hubble Frontier Fields.

Placed upper limits on Lyman-alpha emission from the candidates.

Abstract

We present a detailed gravitational lens model of the galaxy cluster RCS2 J232727.6-020437. Due to cosmological dimming of cluster members and ICL, its high redshift ($z=0.6986$) makes it ideal for studying background galaxies. Using new ACS and WFC3/IR HST data, we identify 16 multiple images. From MOSFIRE follow up, we identify a strong emission line in the spectrum of one multiple image, likely confirming the redshift of that system to $z=2.083$. With a highly magnified ($\mu\gtrsim2$) source plane area of $\sim0.7$ arcmin$^2$ at $z=7$, RCS2 J232727.6-020437 has a lensing efficiency comparable to the Hubble Frontier Fields clusters. We discover four highly magnified $z\sim7$ candidate Lyman-break galaxies behind the cluster, one of which may be multiply-imaged. Correcting for magnification, we find that all four galaxies are fainter than $0.5 L_{\star}$. One candidate is detected at ${>10\sigma}$ in both Spitzer/IRAC [3.6] and [4.5] channels. A spectroscopic follow-up with MOSFIRE does not result in the detection of the Lyman-alpha emission line from any of the four candidates. From the MOSFIRE spectra we place median upper limits on the Lyman-alpha flux of $5-14 \times 10^{-19}\, \mathrm{erg \,\, s^{-1} cm^{-2}}$ ($5\sigma$).