{
  "abstract": "We revisit a late-time, model-independent distance-consistency framework that combines strong gravitational lensing systems (SGLS), ultraviolet/X-ray quasars (QSOs), and 38 Sunyaev--Zel'dovich/X-ray galaxy-cluster angular-diameter distances. The analysis focuses on systematics rather than on presenting a competitive curvature measurement. Starting from the 158-system SGLS catalog, we exclude 30 systems that violate the lensing-geometric requirement $D_{A,ls}/D_{A,s}<1$ in the isothermal reference case $γ_{\\rm lens}=2$, leaving a fixed 128-system SGLS parent sample for cross-matching with 1598 QSOs. A deterministic maximum-cardinality, minimum-mismatch one-to-one assignment yields 100 SGLS--QSO pairs at the nominal $Δd/d=5\\%$ threshold. We propagate the measured X-ray flux uncertainties and the intrinsic QSO scatter, and, crucially, we include the full $38\\times38$ covariance induced by using the same QSO distances in the kernel-smoothed cluster predictions. With $Ω_K\\sim\\mathcal{U}[-10,10]$, the joint posterior is $Ω_K=2.085^{+1.634}_{-1.103}$ (68\\%; central 95\\% interval $[0.269,6.028]$). We do not interpret the positive shift as evidence for an open Universe. \\added{This positive posterior offset is driven by cross-probe calibration tensions, sample-assignment effects, and the cluster anchor; it cannot be attributed to the intrinsic spatial geometry of the Universe.} The SGLS+QSO data alone leave curvature essentially prior dominated, $Ω_K=0.70^{+6.33}_{-7.12}$, whereas removing only the off-diagonal cluster covariance moves the posterior to $Ω_K=5.21^{+2.46}_{-2.07}$. Thus the cluster anchor supplies most of the curvature constraining power and its covariance materially changes the posterior location.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.26097",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Jian Hu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yi Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jian Ping Hu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zhongmu Li"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3q3xpnnp6gf7e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.26097",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "3q3xpnnp6gf7e",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.26097",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.CO"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.26097",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-19",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3q3xpnnp6gf7e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:30:52Z",
      "native_id": "2610.26097",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.26097"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.CO",
      "subfield": "cosmology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Late-time distance consistency and model-independent curvature inference with strong lensing, quasars, and galaxy clusters",
  "title_text": "Late-time distance consistency and model-independent curvature inference with strong lensing, quasars, and galaxy clusters",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3q3xpnnp6gf7e",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}