The inner density profile of an elliptical galaxy at z=1.15 from
  gravitational lensing
  The density profiles of lensing galaxies are typically parameterised by
singular power-law models with a logarithmic slope close to isothermal
($\zeta=2$). This is sufficient to fit the lensed emission near the Einstein
radius but may not be sufficient when extrapolated to smaller or larger radii
if the large-scale density profile is more complex. Here, we consider a broken
power-law model for the density profile of an elliptical galaxy at $z=1.15$
using observations with the Atacama Large (sub-)Millimetre Array of the strong
gravitational lens system SPT0532$-$50. This is the first application of such a
model to real data. We find the lensed emission is best fit by a density
profile that is sub-isothermal ($\zeta = 1.87^{+0.02}_{-0.03}$) near the
Einstein radius and steepens to super-isothermal ($\zeta =
2.14^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$) at around half the Einstein radius, demonstrating that
the lensing data probes the mass distribution inside the region probed by the
lensed images. Assuming that a broken power-law is the underlying truth, we
find that a single power-law would result in a $10\pm1$ percent underestimate
of the Hubble constant from time-delay cosmography. Our results suggest that a
broken power-law could be useful for precision lens modelling and probing the
structural evolution of elliptical galaxies.
