Description
I present the COSMOS-Web Lens Survey (COWLS), a groundbreaking sample of over 100 strong lens candidates identified within the $0.54$deg$^2$ COSMOS-Web survey using high-resolution James Webb Space Telescope (JWST} imaging across four wavebands. Through two rounds of visual inspection and lens modeling, more than 100 candidates were classified as ‘high confidence’ or ‘likely’ by at least $50\%$ of inspectors.
The COWLS sample offers unique opportunities for scientific exploration, featuring: (i) magnified source galaxies spanning redshifts from $z \sim 0.1$ to $z \sim 9$, including those extending into the epoch of reionization; (ii) the highest-redshift lens galaxies known, advancing galaxy density profile evolution studies beyond $z \sim 2$; (iii) a contiguous $0.54$deg$^2$ region ideal for joint strong and weak lensing analyses; and (iv) lenses exhibiting source emission ray-traced near lens galaxy centers, enabling detailed studies of supermassive black holes and dust absorption. I present the first public COWLS data release and outline the next steps on how COWLS can change our understanding of galaxies and cosmology.
