Strong Gravitational Lens Candidates in the GOODS ACS Fields

Abstract

We present results from a systematic search for strong gravitational lenses in the GOODS ACS data. The search technique involves creating a sample of likely lensing galaxies, which we define as massive early-type galaxies in a redshift range 0.3 < z <1.3. The target galaxies are selected by color and magnitude, giving a sample of 1092 galaxies. For each galaxy in the sample, we subtract a smooth description of the galaxy light from the z_{850}-band data. The residuals are examined, along with true-color images created from the B_{435}V_{606}i_{775} data, for morphologies indicative of strong lensing. We present our six most promising lens candidates, as well as our full list of candidates.

Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters. 5 pages, 2 color figures. For full list of candidates and associated figures, see http://www.stsci.edu/science/goods/lensing/Lenscands/lenscands.html