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PROBING THE UNIVERSE WITH WEAK LENSING
Yannick Mellier 1, 2
1 Institut
d'Astrophysique de Paris, 98 bis Boulevard Arago,
Paris, 75014 France.
2 Observatoire
de Paris, DEMIRM, 61 avenue de l'Observatoire, Paris, 75014 France;
E-mail: mellier@iap.fr
Abstract. Gravitational lenses can provide crucial information on
the geometry of
the Universe, on the cosmological scenario of formation of its structures
as well as on the history of its components with look-back time. In this
review, I focus on the most recent
results obtained during the last five years from the analysis of the
weak lensing regime. The potential of weak lensing as a probe of dark
matter and the
study of the coupling between light and mass on scales of clusters of
galaxies, large-scale structures and galaxies is discussed first. Then I
present the impact of weak lensing for the study of distant galaxies and of
the population of lensed sources as a function of redshift. Finally, I
discuss the potential of weak lensing to constrain the cosmological
parameters, either from pure geometrical effects observed in peculiar
lenses, or from the coupling of weak lensing with the CMB.
Key words: cosmology, gravitational lensing, dark matter,
clusters of galaxies, evolution of galaxies
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
- DEFINITIONS
- Lensing equations
- Relation with observable quantities
- MASS DISTRIBUTION IN CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES
- Mass reconstruction with arclets
- Mass reconstruction from weak lensing
- Measuring weak shear
- Mass profile from the magnification bias
- LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURES AND COSMIC SHEAR
- Theoretical expectations
- Measuring the biasing
- Strategies for weak lensing surveys
- Critical issues
- GALAXY-GALAXY LENSING IN FIELD GALAXIES
- GRAVITATIONAL TELESCOPE AND HIGH-Z UNIVERSE
- Redshift distribution of galaxies beyond B=25
- Spectral content of arc(let)s
- Morphology of highly-magnified galaxies
- COSMOLOGICAL PARAMETERS
- Constraints from cluster reconstruction
- Statistics of arc(let)s
- Magnification bias
- LENSING THE CMB
- FUTURE PROSPECTS
- REFERENCES
