Gravitationally lensed QSOs in the ISSIS/WSO-UV era

Abstract

Gravitationally lensed QSOs (GLQs) at 1≤z≤2 play a key role in understanding the cosmic evolution of the innermost parts of active galaxies (black holes, accretion disks, coronas and internal jets), as well as the structure of galaxies at intermediate redshifts. With respect to studies of normal QSOs, GLQ programmes have several advantages. For example, a monitoring of GLQs may lead to unambiguous detections of intrinsic and extrinsic variations. Both kinds of variations can be used to discuss central engines in distant QSOs, and mass distributions and compositions of lensing galaxies. In this context, UV data are of particular interest, since they correspond to emissions from the immediate surroundings of the supermassive black hole. We describe some observation strategies to analyse optically bright GLQs at z∼1.5, using ISSIS (CfS) on board World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet.