RELICS: High-resolution Constraints on the Inner Mass Distribution of the z = 0.83 Merging Cluster RXJ0152.7-1357 from Strong Lensing

Abstract

Abstract Strong gravitational lensing (SL) is a powerful means of mapping the distribution of dark matter. In this work, we perform an SL analysis of the prominent X-ray cluster RXJ0152.7-1357 (z = 0.83, also known as CL0152.7-1357) in Hubble Space Telescope images, taken in the framework of the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS). On top of a previously known z = 3.93 galaxy multiply imaged by RXJ0152.7-1357, for which we identify an additional multiple image, guided by a light-traces-mass approach, we identify seven new sets of multiply imaged background sources lensed by this cluster, spanning the redshift range [1.79–3.93]. A total of 25 multiple images are seen over a small area of ∼0.4 arcmin2, allowing us to put relatively high-resolution constraints on the inner matter distribution. Although modestly massive, the high degree of substructure, together with its very elongated shape, makes RXJ0152.7-1357 a very efficient lens for its size. This cluster also comprises the third-largest sample of z ∼ 6–7 candidates in the RELICS survey. Finally, we present a comparison of our resulting mass distribution and magnification estimates with those from a Lenstool model. These models are made publicly available through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.