Lens Search

We search for lenses in DESI imaging and spectroscopic data, as well as in UNIONS and Euclid imaging, using ML/AI and “classical” techniques.

Hubble Space Telescope Programs

• This Snap program (GO 18085, PI: Huang) is built upon the newest lens search we conducted (Hsu et al. 2026, see below; see also Silver et al. 2025).
• This program (GO 15867, PI: Huang) aims to confirm some of the best lens candidates found in our first two lens search papers below, H20 and H21.
• This archival program (AR-18151, PI: Huang) aims to find low halo mass strong lenses in the HST archive (Silver et al. 2025).

Strong Lens Search Series

1. Deep-learning searches in DESI imaging using ResNet and EfficientNet; ~4,000 new lenses across four search papers:
   • Huang et al. 2020 (H20)
   • Huang et al. 2021 (H21)
   • Storfer et al. 2024
   • Inchausti et al. 2025
2. Autocorrelation
   • Dawes et al. 2022 : 434 lensed quasar candidates found in DESI imaging quasar catalog.
3. Difference Imaging
   • Sheu et al. 2023 : Retrospective search of lensed supernovae in DESI imaging.
   • Sheu et al. 2024a : Lensed quasars found via a time-variability search in DESI imaging quasar catalog.
4. Lens Search in DESI Spectra
   • Pair-wise: Hsu et al. 2026 : A new way to discover strong gravitational lenses, a pairwise spectroscopic search in DESI DR1: 2046 conventional lens candidates (1906 new) and 318 “dimple lens” candidates, for a total of 2364.
   • Single-fiber: Karp et al. 2026 : Four thousand spectroscopically selected galaxy–galaxy gravitational lens candidates.
5. Deep-learning search in UNIONS and Euclid imaging
   • Storfer et al. 2025 : GLUE I, a search for strong gravitational lenses in UNIONS and Euclid imaging.