Current Observing Programs

Current Searches

Ongoing observing programs with repeat imaging of known strong lensing systems, designed to find lensed transients.

LT Lens Monitoring

  • 2-meter Liverpool Telescope program, led by Ismael Perez-Fournon (~80 hrs, on SLACS+BELLS targets)

LCOGT lenslowz

  • 1-meter LCOGT program, led by Sukanya Chakrabarti (~200 hrs, on mostly z<1 SLACS+SWELLS targets)

  • 2019 December: renewed for another semester into 2020: 200 hours on the LCO 1 m and 5 hours on 2 m

LCO Observations + TOM Toolkit Development

  • Co-PIs: Raoul Cañameras and Sherry Suyu (MPA-Garching)

  • We propose ToO photometric and spectroscopic observations of strongly lensed supernovae (SNe) that are necessary to achieve two goals: (1) obtain unprecedented early-phase spectra of SN within days of explosion to shed light on SN progenitors, and (2) measure the cosmic expansion rate (H0), addressing current H0 tensions and paving the way for future lensed SN cosmology. We will use and develop TOM systems to efficiently carry out these follow-up observations. This is a high-gain pilot program that will demonstrate the capabilities of the TOM toolkit for the emerging science case of lensed SNe, especially in the upcoming LSST era.

  • more on the TOM Toolkit

VST Lensed Quasar High-cadence Survey

  • PI: Frederic Courbin

  • "we got 730h of VLT Survey Telescope (VST) time to monitor 6 to 8 quasar lenses over 2 years. These fields are not huge, but still 1 sq degree and deep, with 30 min on-target, done every day. They should contain each a dozen lenses that we will certainly find even by eye by stacking the first few weeks of imaging with good seeing. And then these will automatically be monitored as part of our program. The probability to find a lensed SN there is very low, but if we get one the light curves will be fantastic and we can add filters with the 2.2m."

Available Follow-up Resources

Allocated time for ToO follow-up of any new lensed SN discoveries.

  • Fred Courbin: 20% of the 2.2m at La Silla with the possibility to monitor any new SN within a few hours if needed. Time is secured until Oct 2023. After Oct 2019 we may be able to use GROND which does simultaneous g,r,i,z,j,h,k bands.

  • Curtis McCully: rapid follow-up with LCOGT (pre-allocated?)

  • Ismael Perez Fournon:

    • 2-m LT for imaging

    • GTC+Osiris : high-priority ToO for lensed SN follow-up (March 1, 2019 - Aug 1, 2019?)

  • Saurabh Jha: SALT time available for all targets -70 < dec < +11

  • Radek Wojtak: ToO at NOT for lensed SN candidates: imaging (r<24) and spectroscopy (r<20)

  • Others we've missed?