SDSS J115517.35+634622.0: A newly discovered gravitationally lensed quasar

We report the discovery of SDSS J115517.35+ 634622.0, a previously unknown gravitationally lensed quasar. The lens system exhibits two images of a z = 2.89 quasar, with an image separation of 1.832 +/- 0.007. Near-IR imaging of the system reveals the presence of the lensing galaxy between the two quasar images. Based on absorption features seen in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey ( SDSS) spectrum, we determine a lens galaxy redshift of z = 0.1756. The lens is rather unusual in that one of the quasar images is only 0.22 +/- 0.07 (similar to0.1 R-eff) from the center of the lens galaxy, and photometric modeling indicates that this image is significantly brighter than predicted by a SIS model. This system was discovered in the course of an ongoing search for strongly lensed quasars in the data set from the SDSS.