Strong gravitational lensing as a probe of dark matter

Abstract

Dark matter structures within strong gravitational lens galaxies and along their lines of sight leave a gravitational imprint on the multiple images of lensed sources. Strong gravitational lensing provides, therefore, a key test of different dark matter models. In this article, we describe how galaxy-scale strong gravitational lensing observations are sensitive to the physical nature of dark matter. We provide an historical perspective of the field, and review its current status. We discuss the challenges and advances in terms of data, treatment of systematic errors and theoretical predictions, that will enable one to deliver a stringent and robust test of different dark matter models in the next decade. With the advent of the next generation of sky surveys, the number of known strong gravitational lens systems is expected to increase by several orders of magnitude. Coupled with high-resolution follow-up observations, these data will provide a key opportunity to constrain the properties of dark matter with strong gravitational lensing.