Astronomy Department Calendar

In the local universe, it is well established that there are tight correlations between the mass of a black hole and certain properties of the bulge or disk of its host galaxy, suggesting that the two coevolved. However, the measurements of the host mass rely on photometric measurements and stellar population modeling, which is increasingly uncertain with distance. By searching for quasars (QSOs) acting as strong gravitational lenses on higher-redshift background galaxies, we can precisely measure the mass enclosed within the Einstein ring. This allows us to constrain the relationship between host galaxy mass and black hole mass at higher redshifts. Although such systems are rare, with only three discovered to date, we present a new and innovative approach aimed at increasing the number of candidates and developing a statistically significant list of these objects. In this work, we present a pipeline that classifies and characterizes QSO spectra, resulting in the first list of Candidate QSO-emission line galaxy (ELG) lens pairs identified in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Year 1 QSO sample. In this talk, I will describe our methodology, present our initial results, and outline the next steps needed to confirm these candidates using space-based observations.