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Title: TDCOSMO: VI. Distance measurements in time-delay cosmography under the mass-sheet transformation
Time-delay cosmography with gravitationally lensed quasars plays an important role in anchoring the absolute distance scale and hence measuring the Hubble constant, H 0 , independent of traditional distance ladder methodology. A current potential limitation of time-delay distance measurements is the mass-sheet transformation (MST), which leaves the lensed imaging unchanged but changes the distance measurements and the derived value of H 0 . In this work we show that the standard method of addressing the MST in time-delay cosmography, through a combination of high-resolution imaging and the measurement of the stellar velocity dispersion of the lensing galaxy, depends on the assumption that the ratio, D s / D ds , of angular diameter distances to the background quasar and between the lensing galaxy and the quasar can be constrained. This is typically achieved through the assumption of a particular cosmological model. Previous work (TDCOSMO IV) addressed the mass-sheet degeneracy and derived H 0 under the assumption of the ΛCDM model. In this paper we show that the mass-sheet degeneracy can be broken without relying on a specific cosmological model by combining lensing with relative distance indicators such as supernovae Type Ia and baryon acoustic oscillations, which constrain the shape of the expansion history and hence D s / D ds . With this approach, we demonstrate that the mass-sheet degeneracy can be constrained in a cosmological model-independent way. Hence model-independent distance measurements in time-delay cosmography under MSTs can be obtained.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1907396
PAR ID:
10288790
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume:
652
ISSN:
0004-6361
Page Range / eLocation ID:
A7
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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