| Cloverleaf, H1413+117, QSO 1415+1129 | |
|---|---|
 ESO image of the Cloverleaf quasar | |
| Observation data(EpochJ2000) | |
| Right ascension | 14h 15m 46.27s |
| Declination | +11° 29 ′ 43.4 ″ |
| Redshift | 2.56 |
| Distance | 11Gly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 17 |
| Notable features | Four-image lens, bright CO emission |
| Other designations | |
| QSO J1415+1129, QSO B1413+1143, H 1413+117, Clover Leaf Quasar | |
| See also:Quasar,List of quasars | |
TheCloverleaf quasar (H1413+117,QSO J1415+1129) is a bright,gravitationally lensedquasar. It receives its name because ofgravitational lensing spitting the single quasar into four images.[1]
Molecular gas (notably CO) detected in the host galaxy associated with the quasar is the oldest molecular material known and provides evidence of large-scale star formation in the early universe.Thanks to the strong magnification provided by the foregroundlens, the Cloverleaf is the brightest known source of CO emissionat high redshift[2] and was also the first source at aredshiftz = 2.56 to be detected with HCN[3] or HCO+ emission.[4] This suggests the quasar is currently undergoing an intense wave ofstar formations thus increasing itsluminosity.[3] Aradio jet has also been found on the side of quasar according to a study published in 2023.[5]
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The 4 quasar images were originally discovered in 1984; in 1988, they were determined to be a single quasar split into four images, instead of 4 separate quasars. TheX-rays from iron atoms were also enhanced relative to X-rays at lower energies. Since the amount of brightening due to gravitational lensing doesn't vary with the wavelength, this means that an additional object has magnified the X-rays. The increasedmagnification of the X-ray light can be explained by gravitationalmicrolensing, an effect which has been used to search for compactstars andplanets in our galaxy. Microlensing occurs when a star or a multiple star system passes in front of light from a background object. If a single star or a multiple star system in one of the foreground galaxies passed in front of the light path for the brightest image, then that image would be selectively magnified.[6]
The X-rays would be magnified much more than thevisible lightif they came from a region around the centralsupermassive black hole of the lensing galaxy that was smaller than the origin region of the visible light. The enhancement of theX-rays fromironions would be due to this same effect. The analysis indicates that the X-rays are coming from a very small region, about the size of theSolar System, around the central black hole. The visible light is coming from a region ten or more times larger. The angular size of these regions at a distance of 11 billionlight years is tens of thousands times smaller than the smallest region that can be resolved by the Hubble SpaceTelescope. This provides a way to test models for the flow of gas around a supermassive black hole.[6] Additionally, inner regions of the quasar'saccretion disk around the black hole has been detected suggesting outflow wind.[7]
Data fromNICMOS and a specialalgorithm resolved the lensing galaxy and a partialEinstein ring. The Einstein ring represents the host galaxy of the lensed quasar.[8]
The Cloverleaf quasar was discovered in 1988. Data on the Cloverleaf collected by theChandra X-ray Observatory in 2004 were compared with that gathered by optical telescopes. One of the X-ray components (A) in the Cloverleaf is brighter than the others in both optical and X-ray light but was found to be relatively brighter in X-ray than in optical light. The X-rays from iron atoms were also enhanced relative to X-rays at lower energies.[6]
