Model-Independent Determination of H_{0} and Ω_{K0} from Strong Lensing and Type Ia Supernovae

We present the first determination of the Hubble constant H_{0} from strong lensing time delay data and type Ia supernova luminosity distances that is independent of the cosmological model. We also determine the spatial curvature model independently. We assume that light propagation over long distances is described by the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric and geometrical optics holds, but make no assumption about the contents of the Universe or the theory of gravity on cosmological scales. We find H_{0}=75.7_{-4.4}^{+4.5}  km/s/Mpc and Ω_{K0}=0.12_{-0.25}^{+0.27}. This is a 6% determination of H_{0}. A weak prior from the cosmic microwave background on the distance to the last scattering surface improves this to H_{0}=76.8_{-3.8}^{+4.2}  km/s/Mpc and Ω_{K0}=0.18_{-0.18}^{+0.25}. Assuming a zero spatial curvature, we get H_{0}=74.2_{-2.9}^{+3.0}  km/s/Mpc, a precision of 4%. The measurements also provide a consistency test of the FLRW metric: we find no evidence against it.