The Structure and Evolution of Early-Type Galaxies: A Lensing Perspective

David Rusin (U. Penn.) - October 8 at 12:00 noon

Gravitational lenses represent a unique sample of galaxies: they are mass-selected, dominated by early-type morphologies, and naturally span the redshift range 0 < z < 1. Moreover, the observed properties of lensed images are sensitive to the galaxy mass distribution, and the geometry provides a model-independent measurement of the projected mass. Lenses are thus powerful tools for investigating the structure and evolution of early-type galaxies. I will review recent progress on these fronts using individual lenses, and introduce statistical methods to constrain the radial mass profile in early-type galaxies, trace the evolution of their stellar populations, and address the relationship between luminous and dark matter on galaxy scales.

The seminar will be held in 501 Campbell Hall.


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