Abstract
We present a list of 13 candidate gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) from 95 deg{sup 2} of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, a surface density of 0.14 {+-} 0.04 deg{sup -2}. The selected sources have 500 {mu}m flux densities (S {sub 500}) greater than 100 mJy. Gravitational lensing is confirmed by follow-up observations in 9 of the 13 systems (70%), and the lensing status of the four remaining sources is undetermined. We also present a supplementary sample of 29 (0.31 {+-} 0.06 deg{sup -2}) gravitationally lensed SMG candidates with S {sub 500} = 80-100 mJy, which are expected to contain a higher fraction of interlopers than the primary candidates. The number counts of the candidate lensed galaxies are consistent with a simple statistical model of the lensing rate, which uses a foreground matter distribution, the intrinsic SMG number counts, and an assumed SMG redshift distribution. The model predicts that 32%-74% of our S {sub 500} {>=} 100 mJy candidates are strongly gravitationally lensed ({mu} {>=} 2), with the brightest sources being the most robust; this is consistent with the observational data. Our statistical model also predicts that, on average, lensed galaxies with S {sub 500} = 100 mJy are magnified by factors of {approx}9, with apparently brighter galaxies having progressively higher average magnification, due to the shape of the intrinsic number counts. 65% of the sources are expected to have intrinsic 500 {mu}m flux densities less than 30 mJy. Thus, samples of strongly gravitationally lensed SMGs, such as those presented here, probe below the nominal Herschel detection limit at 500 {mu}m. They are good targets for the detailed study of the physical conditions in distant dusty, star-forming galaxies, due to the lensing magnification, which can lead to spatial resolutions of {approx}0.''01 in the source plane.