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REVIEW 4 major objections 5 minor 2 cited by

MUSE integral-field spectra confirm 48 candidate gravitational lenses from the DESI Legacy Surveys by measuring both lens and source redshifts.

Reviewed by Pith at T0; open to challenge. T0 means a machine referee read the full paper against a public rubric. the ladder, T0–T4 →

T0 review · deepseek-v4-flash

2026-08-04 15:45 UTC pith:LHIHMIQ7

load-bearing objection Useful catalog paper with honest quality flags, but internal inconsistencies in counts and tables mean the published version needs correction before the 48-lens claim can be used as-is. the 4 major comments →

arxiv 2509.18078 v2 pith:LHIHMIQ7 submitted 2025-09-22 astro-ph.CO astro-ph.GA

DESI Strong Lens Foundry IV: Spectroscopic Confirmation of DESI Lens Candidates with VLT/MUSE

classification astro-ph.CO astro-ph.GA
keywords Strong gravitational lensingMUSE integral field spectroscopyDESI Legacy Surveysspectroscopic confirmationgalaxy redshiftsneural network candidatesdark matterlensed high-redshift galaxies
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper is trying to establish that a large set of gravitational-lens candidates, found by a neural network in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, can be spectroscopically confirmed with MUSE integral-field observations. The authors report 48 systems where both the foreground lens galaxy and the background lensed source have measured redshifts, making them fully confirmed strong lenses. This matters because a spectroscopically confirmed lens sample with known redshifts is a prerequisite for using lensing to study dark-matter distributions, galaxy structure, and cosmology. The work also provides a practical template for following up thousands of future lens candidates from wide-area surveys.

Core claim

The paper reports that, of 75 lens candidates found by a neural network in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, 48 are now spectroscopically confirmed gravitational lenses: MUSE spectra yielded measurable redshifts for both the foreground lens galaxy and the background source in each system. Twenty-one more candidates gave a lens redshift but no source redshift, and six were ruled out because the apparent arc had the same redshift as the adjacent galaxy. The confirmed sample spans lens redshifts z ~ 0.2–1.1 and source redshifts up to z ~ 3.5, and includes Einstein crosses, multiple source planes, and group/cluster-scale environments.

What carries the argument

The central instrument is the MUSE integral-field spectrograph, a camera that records a spectrum at every position in a 60×60 arcsecond field across 4750–9350 Å. The analysis extracts averaged 1D spectra from circular apertures or manually selected spaxels, then identifies rest-frame emission and absorption lines by eye to assign redshifts. A quality flag, Qz = 1 (robust), 2 (probable), or 3 (possible), records confidence. This machinery lets a single exposure confirm multiple lens components and detect weak high-redshift features that would be missed by single-fiber spectroscopy.

Load-bearing premise

The central assumption is that the spectral lines used to assign source redshifts—especially the weak, low-signal-to-noise features flagged Qz = 2 or 3—genuinely belong to the background source and are not noise, sky residuals, or contamination from a foreground object.

What would settle it

Take the systems whose source redshift depends on weak features, such as DESI J161.4114-08.8358 (source z = 2.08 from Fe II absorption, Qz = 3), and obtain deeper spectra with higher resolution; if the claimed weak lines do not appear with consistent wavelength and strength, or if an unresolved foreground component is revealed, the confirmed count of 48 would decrease.

Watch this falsifier. Get emailed when new claim-graph text bears on it.

If this is right

  • The 48 confirmed systems with both lens and source redshifts are ready for gravitational-lens modeling, including mass profiles and dark-matter substructure studies.
  • The sample demonstrates that MUSE can confirm complex lenses—multiple images, multiple source planes, group/cluster environments—in a single pointing.
  • The six non-lenses show that imaging-based candidate selection needs spectroscopic screening before the sample is used statistically.
  • High-redshift lensed sources, including one at z ≈ 3.5 with Ly-alpha emission, become targets for studying early galaxies.
  • Combined with HST imaging and other spectroscopic follow-up in the same foundry series, these systems build toward larger samples for time-delay cosmography and dark-matter studies.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The manuscript's abstract and conclusion disagree on the headline numbers (55 systems from 223 spectra versus 48 systems from 185 spectra); this contradiction should be resolved before the sample is used as a catalog.
  • Systems whose source redshift comes from weak, noisy features flagged Qz = 2 or 3 would benefit from independent deep follow-up; if those features do not reproduce, the confirmed count could shrink.
  • A combined success rate of roughly two-thirds fully confirmed or lens-redshift-only out of 75 candidates suggests this machine-learning-plus-IFU strategy can scale to much larger candidate catalogs, though the paper does not quantify that scaling.
  • The double-source-plane systems presented here may be particularly valuable for future lens modeling that probes dark matter in the foreground galaxy, an application the paper lists but does not carry out.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

4 major / 5 minor

Summary. This paper presents VLT/MUSE integral-field spectroscopy of strong gravitational lens candidates selected by a residual neural network from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. The authors extract 1D spectra from MUSE data cubes, manually identify emission and absorption features, and compile a catalog of systems with measured redshifts. The central claim is that both lens and source redshifts were successfully measured for 48 gravitational lens systems, with an additional 21 lens-only systems and 6 confirmed non-lenses. Detailed figures and spectral descriptions are provided for each confirmed system, along with a quality-flag scheme (Qz = 1, 2, 3) for redshift confidence.

Significance. If the catalog is reliable, it is a valuable community resource: spectroscopically confirmed strong lenses with measured lens and source redshifts are relatively rare, and the southern-hemisphere focus complements HST, DESI, and Keck follow-up. The paper's strengths include the honest quality-flag system, the use of independent MUSE data to test machine-learning candidates, and the careful per-system spectral descriptions. However, the published version currently contains several internal inconsistencies, transcription errors, and a lack of redshift uncertainties that prevent independent verification of the headline claim. The central result is likely defensible after corrections, but the paper is not yet in a publishable state as a reference catalog.

major comments (4)
  1. [Abstract vs. Section 5] The abstract and Section 5 report 75 targets, 185 spectra, 48 confirmed lens systems, 21 lens-only systems, and 6 non-lenses. The abstract text supplied with the submission reports 76 targets, 223 spectra, 55 confirmed systems, 15 lens-only systems, and 6 non-lenses. These are irreconcilable. Since these summary statistics are the paper's main deliverable, this discrepancy must be resolved before publication.
  2. [Table 2, Table 3, Table 4] There are load-bearing transcription errors in the tables. In Table 2, the Source A and Source B coordinates for DESI J186.4036-07.4200 are identical to the Source A/B coordinates of DESI J168.7680+16.7604 (168.7687, +16.7590 and 168.7686, +16.7576), making it impossible for a reader to verify the extraction apertures for this system. In Table 3, the Arc coordinates for DESI-311.4249-10.6762 duplicate those of DESI-252.2720+02.3993. In Table 4, the R.A. for DESI-306.4726-51.2868 is listed as 306.2500, inconsistent with the target name. These are not cosmetic issues in a reference sample.
  3. [Section 3 and Table 2 (Qz = 3 systems)] The paper defines Qz = 3 as 'Possible' yet Section 5 counts all 48 systems with measured lens and source redshifts as 'fully confirmed'. Some of these systems rest entirely on Qz = 3 source redshifts with no quoted uncertainties. For example, DESI J343.0402-04.2187 has all four source components at z = 0.58 with Qz = 3 based on a faint [OII] doublet, and DESI J196.4575+22.9256 has a source at z = 0.713 with Qz = 3. A single incorrect line identification would remove a system from the confirmed sample. Either the headline count should distinguish secure from probable/possible systems, or the authors should provide quantitative redshift uncertainties and a clear criterion for what constitutes 'fully confirmed'.
  4. [Section 4.1 and Table 2 internal inconsistencies] There are internal discrepancies between the text and Table 2. For DESI J122.0852+10.5284, item 14 states that Source A has z = 2.2365, while Table 2 lists Source A as z = 1.2365 and Source B as z = 1.453. For DESI J218.2479-07.2268, item 29 says 'L2 at z = 0.338 and the fainter L1 at z = 0.84', whereas Table 2 lists Lens 1 at z = 0.338 and Lens 2 at z = 0.84, i.e., the labels are swapped. Item 22 also contains missing wavelengths ('S IIλÅ, C IVλÅ'). These inconsistencies directly affect the reliability of the published catalog.
minor comments (5)
  1. [Section 1] Typo: 'installed the ESO's Very Large Telescope' should read 'installed on the ESO's Very Large Telescope'.
  2. [Table 4 note] The table note defines Qz = 3 as 'Guess', while Section 3 defines Qz = 3 as 'Possible'. Please use one definition consistently.
  3. [Section 4.2] The descriptions of non-lenses refer to 'Figure 5' in several places, but the corresponding figures are numbered 49–54. Please update the cross-references.
  4. [References] The Cikota et al. 2023 reference appears twice with slightly different formatting. Please merge.
  5. [Section 3] The statement that the number of decimal places in Table 2 reflects 'the small range of variation' is not a substitute for quantitative redshift uncertainties. At minimum, please state the typical uncertainty or provide a method for estimating it from the spectra.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity: spectroscopic confirmation is an independent observational test of previously identified candidates.

full rationale

This paper is an observational follow-up paper, not a derivation. Its central claim — that 48 gravitational lens systems have both lens and source redshifts measured from new VLT/MUSE spectra — rests on new data, not on a re-use of fitted inputs. The authors state: "Redshifts for lenses and sources were obtained via manual identification of spectral features in extracted 1D spectra" (Section 3), and the 48-system count is presented as "successfully determining both the lens and the source redshifts for 48 gravitational lens systems" (Section 5). The lens candidates from the same group's earlier neural-network surveys are the target list, but the confirmation is carried by independent MUSE spectroscopy: extracted 1D spectra, identified emission/absorption lines, and stated quality flags (Qz = 1, 2, 3). There is no equation in which a fitted parameter is renamed as a prediction, no theorem imported from a self-citation that forces the result, and no ansatz smuggled in via citation. The Qz = 2/3 source redshifts are explicitly flagged as probable/possible, e.g., "A faint emission line is detected in the four components of the arc, exhibiting a double-peaked structure consistent with [OII] emission. This suggests a redshift of z = 0.58 for the background galaxy, with a quality flag of Qz = 3 due to the low SNR" (Desc. 46). That is an honest admission of measurement uncertainty, not circularity. Self-citations (Huang et al. 2020, 2021; Storfer et al. 2024; Cikota et al. 2023) are used to identify the candidate sample and to reference prior work on specific systems, but the confirmation claim does not reduce to those citations. Some systems are cross-checked against independent external literature or Keck data, but even without those, the MUSE spectra themselves are the load-bearing evidence. The duplicated source coordinates for DESI J186.4036-07.4200 in Table 2 are a transcription/verifiability defect, but they do not make the argument circular. Overall, the confirmation loop — machine-learning candidates followed by new spectroscopy — is a standard, non-circular validation procedure.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 3 axioms · 0 invented entities

No free parameters or invented entities. The central contribution is observational: spectroscopic redshifts. The main axioms are standard astrophysical and instrumental assumptions about line identifications, lensing interpretation, and MUSE calibration.

axioms (3)
  • domain assumption Rest-frame wavelengths of spectral features (e.g., O II 3727/3729, Ca II H&K, C IV) are known and correspond to the identified lines.
    Used in Section 3 and throughout Section 4 to convert observed line positions to redshifts.
  • domain assumption The arc/ring morphologies, after redshift ordering, indicate gravitational lensing rather than tidal debris or chance superpositions.
    The working definition of confirmed lens in this paper; six candidates were rejected precisely because the arc and lens have similar redshifts, so the assumption is doing load-bearing work.
  • domain assumption MUSE data reduction (pipeline 2.2 plus ZAP) yields accurate, sky-subtracted spectra.
    Assumed in Section 3; the paper does not independently validate the absolute wavelength scale for each object.

pith-pipeline@v1.3.0-alltime-deepseek · 46771 in / 9416 out tokens · 75257 ms · 2026-08-04T15:45:05.273470+00:00 · methodology

0 comments
read the original abstract

We present integral field spectroscopic observations of 76 strong gravitational lens candidates identified with a residual neural network in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the ESO's Very Large Telescope. These observations are part of an ongoing effort to build a large, spectroscopically confirmed sample of strong lensing systems for studies on dark matter, galaxy structure, and cosmology. Our MUSE program targets both lens and source redshifts, with particular emphasis on southern hemisphere systems. MUSE's wide spectral coverage and integral field capability allow for efficient identification of multiple sources, lens environments, and weak spectral features. Redshifts for lenses and sources were obtained via manual identification of spectral features in extracted 1D spectra. Our dataset includes systems with complex configurations, such as multiple source planes and group or cluster-scale environments. We extracted and analyzed 223 spectra, successfully determining both the lens and the source redshifts for 55 gravitational lens systems. For an additional 15 targets, we measured the redshifts of the lenses but were unable to determine the redshifts of the background sources. Six targets were confirmed to not be gravitational lenses. The results presented here complement space-based imaging from our HST SNAPshot program and spectroscopic follow-up with DESI and Keck, and have lasting legacy value for identifying interesting high redshift sources and complex lensing configurations.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2509.18078 by Aleksandar Cikota, Christopher J. Storfer, David J. Schlegel, Emerald Lin, Ivonne Toro Bertolla, Marcos Tamargo-Arizmendi, Nao Suzuki, William Sheu, Xiaosheng Huang.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J003.6745-13.5042 observed with MUSE. The image is a combination of the Johnson V (yellow), Cousins R (magenta), and Cousins I (cyan) images generated from the MUSE data cube. The white square indicates the cutout shown in the right panel. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J003.6745-13.5042 in rest frame wavelength, with the host galaxy above and the lensed sourc… view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J043.6663-04.3068 observed with MUSE. Bottom:MUSE spectra of DESI J043.6663-04.3068. For more information on the system, see Desc. 2 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p021_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J053.6251-13.1869 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J053.6251-13.1869. For more information on the system, see Desc. 3 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p022_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J055.0894-25.5581 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J055.0894-25.5581. Note that the source quality flag is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 4 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p023_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J060.5238-22.0990 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J060.5238-22.0990. For more information on the system, see Desc. 5 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p024_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J065.6453-28.0646 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J065.6453-28.0646. For more information on the system, see Desc. 6 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p025_6.png] view at source ↗
Figure 7
Figure 7. Figure 7: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J073.5286-10.2227 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J073.5286-10.2227. For more information on the system, see Desc. 7 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p026_7.png] view at source ↗
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J073.9027-25.5132 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J073.9027-25.5132. For more information on the system, see Desc. 8 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p027_8.png] view at source ↗
Figure 9
Figure 9. Figure 9: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J074.9646-30.7233 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J074.9646-30.7233. For more information on the system, see Desc. 9 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p028_9.png] view at source ↗
Figure 10
Figure 10. Figure 10: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J075.2793-24.4176 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J075.2793-24.4176. For more information on the system, see Desc. 10 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p029_10.png] view at source ↗
Figure 11
Figure 11. Figure 11: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J086.3072-26.5878 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J086.3072-26.5878. Note that Source A’s quality flag is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 11 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p030_11.png] view at source ↗
Figure 12
Figure 12. Figure 12: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J087.1525-36.2427 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J087.1525-36.2427. For more information on the system, see Desc. 12 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p031_12.png] view at source ↗
Figure 13
Figure 13. Figure 13: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J090.9854-35.9683 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J090.9854-35.9683. For more information on the system, see Desc. 13 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p032_13.png] view at source ↗
Figure 14
Figure 14. Figure 14: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J122.0852+10.5284 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J122.0852+10.5284. For more information on the system, see Desc. 14 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p033_14.png] view at source ↗
Figure 15
Figure 15. Figure 15: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J154.6975-01.3588 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J154.6975-01.3588. For more information on the system, see Desc. 15 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p034_15.png] view at source ↗
Figure 16
Figure 16. Figure 16: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J157.4222+20.4043 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J157.4222+20.4043. For more information on the system, see Desc. 16 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p035_16.png] view at source ↗
Figure 17
Figure 17. Figure 17: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J157.6135-06.6858 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J157.6135-06.6858. Note that the source quality flag is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 17 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p036_17.png] view at source ↗
Figure 18
Figure 18. Figure 18: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J160.1719+18.8480 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J160.1719+18.8480. For more information on the system, see Desc. 18 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p037_18.png] view at source ↗
Figure 19
Figure 19. Figure 19: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J161.4114-8.8358 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J161.4114-8.8358. Note that the source quality flag is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 19 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p038_19.png] view at source ↗
Figure 20
Figure 20. Figure 20: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J166.9974+04.1560 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J166.9974+04.1560. For more information on the system, see Desc. 20 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p039_20.png] view at source ↗
Figure 21
Figure 21. Figure 21: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J168.7680+16.7604 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J168.7680+16.7604. Note that the quality flag for Source A is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 21 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p040_21.png] view at source ↗
Figure 22
Figure 22. Figure 22: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J174.5481+14.7863 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J174.5481+14.7863. For more information on the system, see Desc. 22 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p041_22.png] view at source ↗
Figure 23
Figure 23. Figure 23: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J186.4036-07.4200 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J186.4036-07.4200. For more information on the system, see Desc. 23 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p042_23.png] view at source ↗
Figure 24
Figure 24. Figure 24: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J190.7935+21.3334 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J190.7935+21.3334. For more information on the system, see Desc. 24 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p043_24.png] view at source ↗
Figure 25
Figure 25. Figure 25: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J196.4575+22.9256 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J196.4575+22.9256. Note that the source quality flag is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 25 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p044_25.png] view at source ↗
Figure 26
Figure 26. Figure 26: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J197.5704+14.7474 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J197.5704+14.7474. For more information on the system, see Desc. 26 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p045_26.png] view at source ↗
Figure 27
Figure 27. Figure 27: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J200.7678+03.7216 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J200.7678+03.7216. For more information on the system, see Desc. 27 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p046_27.png] view at source ↗
Figure 28
Figure 28. Figure 28: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J202.6690+04.6708 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J202.6690+04.6708. For more information on the system, see Desc. 28 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p047_28.png] view at source ↗
Figure 29
Figure 29. Figure 29: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J218.2479-7.2268 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J218.2479-7.2268. Note that the quality flag for all sources is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 29 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p048_29.png] view at source ↗
Figure 30
Figure 30. Figure 30: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J220.4549+14.6891 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J220.4549+14.6891. For more information on the system, see Desc. 30 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p049_30.png] view at source ↗
Figure 31
Figure 31. Figure 31: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J234.4780+14.7229 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J234.4780+14.7229. Note that the quality flag for image A is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 31 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p050_31.png] view at source ↗
Figure 32
Figure 32. Figure 32: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J238.5690+04.7276 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J238.5690+04.7276. Note that the quality flag for image B is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 32 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p051_32.png] view at source ↗
Figure 33
Figure 33. Figure 33: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J245.7514+21.6226 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J245.7514+21.6226. Note that the source quality flag is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 33 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p052_33.png] view at source ↗
Figure 34
Figure 34. Figure 34: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J246.0068+01.4842 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J246.0068+01.4842. Note that the quality flag for galaxies 1 and 3 is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 34 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p053_34.png] view at source ↗
Figure 35
Figure 35. Figure 35: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J253.2534+26.8843 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J253.2534+26.8843. For more information on the system, see Desc. 35 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p054_35.png] view at source ↗
Figure 36
Figure 36. Figure 36: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J260.8405+23.84423 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J260.8405+23.84423. For more information on the system, see Desc. 36 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p055_36.png] view at source ↗
Figure 37
Figure 37. Figure 37: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J304.0068-49.9067 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J304.0068-49.9067. For more information on the system, see Desc. 37 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p056_37.png] view at source ↗
Figure 38
Figure 38. Figure 38: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J318.0376-01.7568 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J318.0376-01.7568. For more information on the system, see Desc. 38 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p057_38.png] view at source ↗
Figure 39
Figure 39. Figure 39: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J326.0105-43.3965 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J326.0105-43.3965. Note that the source quality flag is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 39 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p058_39.png] view at source ↗
Figure 40
Figure 40. Figure 40: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J329.6820+02.9584 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J329.6820+02.9584. Note that the quality flag for Source D is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 40 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p059_40.png] view at source ↗
Figure 41
Figure 41. Figure 41: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J331.8083-52.0487 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J331.8083-52.0487. Note that the quality flag for all sources is Qz = 2. For more information on the system, see Desc. 41 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p060_41.png] view at source ↗
Figure 42
Figure 42. Figure 42: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J335.5354+27.7596 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J335.5354+27.7596. For more information on the system, see Desc. 42 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p061_42.png] view at source ↗
Figure 43
Figure 43. Figure 43: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J339.8883-4.4880 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J339.8883-4.4880. For more information on the system, see Desc. 43 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p062_43.png] view at source ↗
Figure 44
Figure 44. Figure 44: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J341.0212+27.9883 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J341.0212+27.9883. For more information on the system, see Desc. 44 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p063_44.png] view at source ↗
Figure 45
Figure 45. Figure 45: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J342.9290-03.4136 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J342.9290-03.4136. For more information on the system, see Desc. 45 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p064_45.png] view at source ↗
Figure 46
Figure 46. Figure 46: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J343.0402-04.2187 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J343.0402-04.2187. Note that the quality flag for all sources is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 46 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p065_46.png] view at source ↗
Figure 47
Figure 47. Figure 47: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J344.6262-58.6910 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J344.6262-58.6910. For more information on the system, see Desc. 47 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p066_47.png] view at source ↗
Figure 48
Figure 48. Figure 48: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J345.8606+23.4757 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J345.8606+23.4757. Note that the quality flag for Object X is Qz = 3. For more information on the system, see Desc. 48 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p067_48.png] view at source ↗
Figure 49
Figure 49. Figure 49: Top: RGB image of system DESI J180.2707-2.3681 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J180.2707-2.3681. For more information on the system, see Desc. 1 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p068_49.png] view at source ↗
Figure 50
Figure 50. Figure 50: Top: RGB image of system DESI J189.9885+12.6693 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J189.9885+12.6693. For more information on the system, see Desc. 1 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p069_50.png] view at source ↗
Figure 51
Figure 51. Figure 51: Top: RGB image of system DESI J252.2720+02.3993 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J252.2720+02.3993. For more information on the system, see Desc. 3 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p070_51.png] view at source ↗
Figure 52
Figure 52. Figure 52: Top: RGB image of system DESI J311.4249-10.6762 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J311.4249-10.6762. For more information on the system, see Desc. 4 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p071_52.png] view at source ↗
Figure 53
Figure 53. Figure 53: Top: RGB image of system DESI J333.3655-13.2491 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J333.3655-13.2491. For more information on the figure, see Desc. 5 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p072_53.png] view at source ↗
Figure 54
Figure 54. Figure 54: Top: RGB image of gravitational lens system DESI J340.2310-00.0123 observed with MUSE. Bottom: MUSE spectra of DESI J340.2310-00.0123. For more information on the figure, see Desc. 6 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p073_54.png] view at source ↗
Figure 55
Figure 55. Figure 55: Left: Histogram of all lens and source redshifts for fully confirmed systems. Right: Redshifts for lens only systems. 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Lens Redshift (z) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 Source Redshift (z) Double Source [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p074_55.png] view at source ↗
Figure 56
Figure 56. Figure 56: Scatter plot of lens vs source redshifts for all fully confirmed systems [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p074_56.png] view at source ↗

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Cited by 2 Pith papers

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    A simulated sample of 800 LSST lensed AGN, analyzed with a new hierarchical time-delay inference code, is forecast to yield ~2.5% H0 precision and a dark-energy figure of merit of 6.7 in w0waCDM.

  2. XShooter DESI Lens Program: Sample characterization

    astro-ph.CO 2026-07 conditional novelty 4.0

    XShooter redshifts for 58 lenses and 57 sources from DESI Legacy Survey candidates show no measurement bias, so the source-z distribution can calibrate large imaging surveys.

Reference graph

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    38 Lin et al. 10.0 " N E 2.0 " N E A 2700 3000 3300 3600 3900 4200 4500 4800 5100−15 0 15 Mg II K H DESI J161 .4114 − 08.8359 Galaxy z =0.827 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600 2800 3000 0 2 4 6 8 10Flux Fe II Fe II Mg II Rest frame wavelength (˚A) Figure

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