This paper introduced the concept of galaxy-galaxy lensing, and provides scaling relations for predicting the number of background galaxies that will be needed to measure the mean mass profile around a given type of galaxy to a given accuracy. (A)
This paper uses a large Hubble Space Telescope survey to obtain galaxy-galaxy lensing measurements at higher redshifts than previously possible, and explores the evolution of dark halo properties. (A)
This paper includes measurements of the ellipticity of dark-matter halos for different foreground galaxy properties. It includes a good discussion of potential systematic errors coming from intrinsic alignments of the background galaxies. (A)
This presents a galaxy-galaxy lensing study using a database large enough to subdivide the foreground galaxy sample by various properties, and still obtain a high signal-to-noise measurement of the mass profiles. (A)
A study of galaxy-galaxy lensing using a 45 square degree imaging survey, including the first significant attempt to measure the shape of the dark-matter halo by rotating (as well as translating) the background galaxy positions and shears to a common reference frame. (A)
A review of the many astrophysical applications of strong gravitational lensing, focused on galaxy-scale deflectors. It includes applications to the study of the properties of galaxies, cosmography, and the use of lenses as natural telescopes. (A)
A concise paper that combines strong and weak lensing constraints with stellar kinematics to show that the initial mass function of massive (lens) galaxies is not consistent with light ones such as those advocated for spiral galaxies. (A)
In recent years, the citizen scientists of Galaxy Zoo have been carrying out their own search, rediscovering known lenses and finding interesting new candidates in the SDSS and HST image archives. They can be followed (and joined!) at the Galaxy Zoo forum. (E, I)
A clear illustration of the power of combining gravitational lensing with other diagnostics (in this case stellar kinematics) for the study of stars and dark matter in galaxies and their evolution over cosmic time. (A)
A recent and up-to-date paper on the distribution of stellar and dark matter in early-type galaxies using strong lensing, stellar kinematics, and other astrophysical tools. (A)
A recent description of the rationale for studying spiral galaxies with strong
gravitational lensing and the challenges associated with finding large samples of them. (A)
Used microlensing to learn about the granularity of the mass distribution in galaxies and therefore infer an absolute measurement of the dark matter and stellar content. This is a beautiful example of single-epoch microlensing applications. (A)
The deflection of during an eclipse was the first observation of lensing in the universe, but there would not be another for 60 years. However, in the 1930s, Fritz Zwicky predicted that galaxies and clusters of galaxies would make good gravitational lenses as well, in this prescient paper. (A)
This paper studies how the distribution of faint, background galaxies is affected by the presence of bright, foreground galaxies, and models this as a product of weak lensing magnification. (A)
While not the first attempt at reconstructing extended lensed sources,
this paper provides a good introduction to the topic: much of the galaxy-scale lens modeling work of the last decade builds on this paper. (A)
The most prolific lens search to date, the SLACS project involved high-resolution confirmation imaging of a very pure sample of lens candidates, selected for their anomalous SDSS double-galaxy spectra. (A)
LoCuSS is a large sample of nearby galaxy clusters with good weak lensing and X-ray measurements; Zhang, et al., use these clusters to investigate the agreement between mass estimates based on X-ray and weak lensing, and provide a good discussion of potential sources of errors in both of these methods.
Quiescent galaxies are more numerous sources, but are even fainter than quasars: it would take the advent of CCD imaging cameras to detect the first gravitational arc. It was not clear what the arc was: a deep spectrum revealed it to be a background galaxy, observed at high magnification through the lens. (A)
This paper discusses the impact on cosmological-parameter measurement from cosmic-shear surveys owing to a variety of systematic errors. Of particular importance are the intrinsic alignments of galaxy shapes (prior to their being lensed) and the accuracy with which the lensed-galaxies redshifts can be estimated from their colors alone. (A)