Spherical gravitational lenses and the triple quasar

A model for the triple quasar Q1115 + 080 A, B, C based on a single gravitational lens is proposed. It is demonstrated that the resulting five-image configuration produced by a lens galaxy having a spheroidal mass component is in reasonable accord with the observed features of the triple quasar. The model naturally leads to the resolution of the brightest member into two closely separated components of approximately equal intensity. The mass and redshift of the lens galaxy and time delays from various images are calculated as a function of the core radius of the galaxy. (author)