A Multiply Imaged Luminous Infrared Galaxy Behind the Bullet Cluster

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  • 26 March 2008
Abstract
We present evidence for a Spitzer-selected luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) behind the Bullet Cluster. The galaxy, originally identified in IRAC photometry as a multiply imaged source, has a spectral energy distribution consistent with a highly extincted (A_V~3.3), strongly star-forming galaxy at z=2.7. Our strong gravitational lensing analysis of the cluster indicates that the magnifications are ~25 and 40 for the two images of the galaxy. The implied infrared luminosity is consistent with the galaxy being a LIRG. The galaxy is relatively massive, with an unlensed stellar mass of M_*~2e11 M_Sun, and has a star formation rate of ~50 M_Sun/yr. With a lensed luminosity of 0.8 mJy at 24 microns, this galaxy presents a unique opportunity for detailed study of an obscured starburst at this epoch, with the aim of understanding the connection between the different classes of dusty galaxies found at high redshift.

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