We impose the first strong-lensing constraints on a wide class of modified gravity models where an extra field that modifies gravity also couples to photons (either directly or indirectly through… Click to show full abstract
We impose the first strong-lensing constraints on a wide class of modified gravity models where an extra field that modifies gravity also couples to photons (either directly or indirectly through a coupling with baryons) and thus modifies lensing. We use the nonsingular isothermal ellipsoid (NIE) profile as an effective potential, which produces flat galactic rotation curves. If a concrete modified gravity model gives a flat rotation curve, then the parameter $\Gamma$ that characterizes the lensing effect must take some definite value. We find that $\Gamma = 1.24\pm0.65$ at $1\sigma$, consistent with general relativity ($\Gamma = 1$). This constrains the parameter space in some recently proposed models.
               
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