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NASA NTRS2012

Dynamics of Galaxy Clusters and Expectations from Astro-H

Galaxy clusters span a range of dynamical states, from violent mergers -- the most energetic events in the Universe -- to systems near hydrostatic equilibrium that allow us to map their dark matter distribution using X-ray observations of the intracluster gas. Accurate knowledge of the cluster physics, and in particular, the physics of the hot intracluster gas, is required to realize the full potential of clusters as cosmological probes. So far, we have been studying the cluster dynamics indirectly, deducing merger geometries, cluster masses, etc., using X-ray brightness and gas temperature mapping. For the first time, the calorimeter onboard Astro-H will provide direct measurements of line-of-sight velocities and turbulent broadening in the intracluster gas, testing many of our key assumptions about clusters. This talk will summarize expectations for cluster dynamic studies with this new instrument.

Markevitch, Maxim↗

DOE OSTI2024

The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: Optical identification and properties of galaxy clusters and groups in the western galactic hemisphere

The first SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey (eRASS1) provides the largest intracluster medium-selected galaxy cluster and group catalog covering the western Galactic hemisphere. Compared to samples selected purely on X-ray extent, the sample purity can be enhanced by identifying cluster candidates using optical and near-infrared data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. Using the red-sequence-based cluster findereROMaPPer, we measured individual photometric properties (redshiftz λ , richnessλ, optical center, and BCG position) for 12000 eRASS1 clusters over a sky area of 13 116 deg 2 , augmented by 247 cases identified by matching the candidates with known clusters from the literature. The median redshift of the identified eRASS1 sample isz= 0.31, with 10% of the clusters atz> 0.72. The photometric redshifts have an accuracy ofδz/(1 +z) ≲ 0.005 for 0.05 specand velocity dispersionσ) were measured a posteriori for a subsample of 3210 and 1499 eRASS1 clusters, respectively, using an extensive compilation of spectroscopic redshifts of galaxies from the literature. We infer that the primary eRASS1 sample has a purity of 86% and optical completeness >95% forz> 0.05. For these and further quality assessments of the eRASS1 identified catalog, we applied our identification method to a collection of galaxy cluster catalogs in the literature, as well as blindly on the full Legacy Surveys covering 24069 deg 2 . Using a combination of these cluster samples, we investigated the velocity dispersion-richness relation, finding that it scales with richness as log(λ norm ) = 2.401 × log(σ) − 5.074 with an intrinsic scatter ofδ in = 0.10 ± 0.01 dex. The primary product of our work is the identified eRASS1 cluster catalog with high purity and a well-defined X-ray selection process, opening the path for precise cosmological analyses presented in companion papers.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

NASA NTRS1997

The Richness Dependence of Galaxy Cluster Correlations: Results From A Redshift Survey Of Rich APM Clusters

We analyze the spatial clustering properties of a new catalog of very rich galaxy clusters selected from the APM Galaxy Survey. These clusters are of comparable richness and space density to Abell Richness Class greater than or equal to 1 clusters, but selected using an objective algorithm from a catalog demonstrably free of artificial inhomogeneities. Evaluation of the two-point correlation function xi(sub cc)(r) for the full sample and for richer subsamples reveals that the correlation amplitude is consistent with that measured for lower richness APM clusters and X-ray selected clusters. We apply a maximum likelihood estimator to find the best fitting slope and amplitude of a power law fit to x(sub cc)(r), and to estimate the correlation length r(sub 0) (the value of r at which xi(sub cc)(r) is equal to unity). For clusters with a mean space density of 1.6 x 10(exp -6) h(exp 3) MpC(exp -3) (equivalent to the space density of Abell Richness greater than or equal to 2 clusters), we find r(sub 0) = 21.3(+11.1/-9.3) h(exp -1) Mpc (95% confidence limits). This is consistent with the weak richness dependence of xi(sub cc)(r) expected in Gaussian models of structure formation. In particular, the amplitude of xi(sub cc)(r) at all richnesses matches that of xi(sub cc)(r) for clusters selected in N-Body simulations of a low density Cold Dark Matter model.

Croft, R. A. C.↗

DOE OSTI2023

A forward modeling approach to analyzing galaxy clustering with S IM BIG

We present cosmological constraints from a simulation-based inference (SBI) analysis of galaxy clustering from the SimBIG forward modeling framework. SimBIG leverages the predictive power of high-fidelity simulations and provides an inference framework that can extract cosmological information on small nonlinear scales. In this work, we apply SimBIG to the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) CMASS galaxy sample and analyze the power spectrum, P ℓ (k), to k max = 0.5 h/Mpc. We construct 20,000 simulated galaxy samples using our forward model, which is based on 2,000 high-resolution Quijote N -body simulations and includes detailed survey realism for a more complete treatment of observational systematics. We then conduct SBI by training normalizing flows using the simulated samples and infer the posterior distribution of ΛCDM cosmological parameters: Ω m , Ω b , h, n s , σ 8 . We derive significant constraints on Ω m and σ 8 , which are consistent with previous works. Our constraint on σ 8 is 27% more precise than standard P ℓ analyses because we exploit additional cosmological information on nonlinear scales beyond the limit of current analytic models, k > 0.25 h/Mpc. This improvement is equivalent to the statistical gain expected from a standard P ℓ analysis of galaxy sample ~ 60% larger than CMASS. While we focus on P ℓ in this work for validation and comparison to the literature, SimBIG provides a framework for analyzing galaxy clustering using any summary statistic. We expect further improvements on cosmological constraints from subsequent SimBIG analyses of summary statistics beyond P ℓ .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2013

Statistical Issues in Galaxy Cluster Cosmology

The number and growth of massive galaxy clusters are sensitive probes of cosmological structure formation. Surveys at various wavelengths can detect clusters to high redshift, but the fact that cluster mass is not directly observable complicates matters, requiring us to simultaneously constrain scaling relations of observable signals with mass. The problem can be cast as one of regression, in which the data set is truncated, the (cosmology-dependent) underlying population must be modeled, and strong, complex correlations between measurements often exist. Simulations of cosmological structure formation provide a robust prediction for the number of clusters in the Universe as a function of mass and redshift (the mass function), but they cannot reliably predict the observables used to detect clusters in sky surveys (e.g. X-ray luminosity). Consequently, observers must constrain observable-mass scaling relations using additional data, and use the scaling relation model in conjunction with the mass function to predict the number of clusters as a function of redshift and luminosity.

Galaxy↗

DOE OSTI2020

Optical Wavelength Guided Self-Supervised Feature Learning For Galaxy Cluster Richness Estimate

Most galaxies in the nearby Universe are gravitationally bound to a cluster or group of galaxies. Their optical contents, such as optical richness, are crucial for understanding the co-evolution of galaxies and large-scale structures in modern astronomy and cosmology. The determination of optical richness can be challenging. We propose a self-supervised approach for estimating optical richness from multi-band optical images. The method uses the data properties of the multi-band optical images for pre-training, which enables learning feature representations from a large but unlabeled dataset. We apply the proposed method to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The result shows our estimate of optical richness lowers the mean absolute error and intrinsic scatter by 11.84% and 20.78%, respectively, while reducing the need for labeled training data by up to 60%. We believe the proposed method will benefit astronomy and cosmology, where a large number of unlabeled multi-band images are available, but acquiring image labels is costly.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

COOL–LAMPS. III. Discovery of a 25."9 Separation Quasar Lensed by a Merging Galaxy Cluster*

In the third paper from the COOL–LAMPS Collaboration, we report the discovery of COOL J0542-2125, a gravitationally lensed quasar at z = 1.84, observed as three images due to an intervening massive galaxy cluster at z = 0.61. The lensed quasar images were identified in a search for lens systems in recent public optical imaging data and have separations on the sky up to 25farcs9, wider than any previously known lensed quasar. The galaxy cluster acting as a strong lens appears to be in the process of merging, with two subclusters separated by ~1 Mpc in the plane of the sky, and their central galaxies showing a radial velocity difference of ~1000 km s-1. Both cluster cores show strongly lensed images of an assortment of background sources, as does the region between them. A preliminary strong lens model implies masses of $M_{<250kpc} = 1.79^{+0.16}_{-0.01}$ x $10^{14} M_⊙$ and $M_{<250kpc} = 1.48^{+0.04}_{-0.10}$ x $10^{14} M_⊙$ for the east and west subclusters, respectively. This line of sight is also coincident with an ROSAT ALL-sky Survey source, centered between the two confirmed cluster halos reminiscent of other major cluster-scale mergers. Archival and new follow-up imaging show flux variability in the quasar images of up to 0.4 mag within ~1 yr, and new multicolor imaging data reveal a 2σ detection of the underlying quasar host. A lens system with this configuration offers rare opportunities for a range of future studies of both the lensed quasar and its host and the foreground cluster merger causing the lensing.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Dark matter haloes in the multicomponent model. III. From dwarfs to galaxy clusters

A possibility of DM being multicomponent has a strong implication on resolving decades-long known cosmological problems on small scale. In addition to elastic scattering, the model allows for inelastic interactions, which can be characterized by a ‘velocity kick’ parameter. The simplest 2cDM model with cross-section 0.01 ≲ σ/m < 1cm 2 g -1 and the kick velocity V k ≃100kms -1 have been shown to robustly resolve the missing satellites, core-cusp, and too-big-to-fail problems in N-body cosmological simulations tested on Milky Way (MW)-like haloes of a virial mass ~5 × 10 11 M ⊙ (Papers I & II). With the aim of further constraining the parameter space available for the 2cDM model, we extend our analysis to dwarf and galaxy cluster haloes with their virial mass of ~10 7 -10 8 and ~10 13 -10 14 M ⊙ ⁠, respectively. We find that σ 0 /m ≳ 0.1 cm 2 g -1 is preferentially disfavoured for both dwarfs and galaxy cluster haloes in comparison with observations, while σ 0 /m = 0.001 cm 2 g -1 causes little perceptible difference from that of the CDM counterpart for most of the cross-section’s velocity dependence studied in this work. Our main result is that within the reasonable set of parameters, the 2cDM model can successfully explain the observational trends seen in dwarf galaxy and galaxy cluster haloes, and the model leaves us an open window for other possible alternative DM models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Rates and properties of Type Ia supernovae in galaxy clusters within the dark energy survey

We identify 66 photometrically classified Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) that have occurred within red-sequence selected galaxy clusters. We compare light-curve and host galaxy properties of the cluster SNe to 1024 DES SNe Ia located in field galaxies, the largest comparison of two such samples at high redshift (z > 0.1). We find that cluster SN light curves decline faster than those in the field (97.7 per cent confidence). However, when limiting these samples to host galaxies of similar colour and mass, there is no significant difference in the SN light-curve properties. Motivated by previous detections of a higher-normalized SN Ia delay-time distribution in galaxy clusters, we measure the intrinsic rate of SNe Ia in cluster and field environments. We find the average ratio of the SN Ia rate per galaxy between high-mass (⁠|$10\le \log \mathrm{(\mathit{ M}_{*}/{\rm \mathit{ M}}_{\odot })} \le 11.25$|⁠) cluster and field galaxies to be 0.594 ± 0.068. This difference is mass-dependent, with the ratio declining with increasing mass, which suggests that the stellar populations in cluster hosts are older than those in field hosts. We show that the mass-normalized rate (or SNe per unit mass) in massive–passive galaxies is consistent between cluster and field environments. Additionally, both of these rates are consistent with rates previously measured in clusters at similar redshifts. We conclude that in massive–passive galaxies, which are the dominant hosts of cluster SNe, the cluster delay-time distribution is comparable to the field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2012

Detection of Galaxy Cluster Motions with the Kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

Using high-resolution microwave sky maps made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, we for the first time detect motions of galaxy clusters and groups via microwave background .temperature distortions due to the kinematic Sunyaev.Zel'dovich effect. Galaxy clusters are identified by their constituent luminous galaxies observed by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. The mean pairwise momentum of clusters is measured. at a statistical. significance of 3.8 sigma, and the signal is consistent with the growth of cosmic structure in the standard model of cosmology

Hand, Nick↗

NASA NTRS1994

Statistical association of QSO's with foreground galaxy clusters

We report a statistically significant overdensity of high redshift quasi-stellar objects (QSO's) in the directions of foreground galaxy clusters. QSO's are taken from the Large Bright QSO Survey (LBQS) between 1.4 less than or equal z less than or equal 2.2 with a limiting magnitude of m(sub B) = 18.5. Foreground clusters are regions within 6 Zwicky radii of small Zwicky clusters at a characteristic redshift of about z approximately = 0.2, covering about 40% of the total area surveyed (304 sq. deg). The overdensity, defined as the ratio of the number density of QSO's in the directions of clusters ('association QSO's) to that in the remainder of the fields ('background QSO's), is equal to 1.7, and formally differs from unity at 4.7 sigma significance. The observed overdensity probably is not due to statistical variation in QSO density, intrinsic QSO-QSO and/or cluster-cluster autocorrelations, or patchy Galactic obscuration. We thus interpret this observation as being due to statistical gravitational lensing of background QSO's by galaxy clusters. However, this amplitude of overdensity behind clusters cannot be accounted for in any cluster lensing model if the background QSO number-magnitude counts are similar to the intrinsic (unlensed) counts, and is implausible in any conventional model of cosmic mass distribution.

Rodrigues-Williams, Liliya L.↗

DOE OSTI2026

The Thermal and Kinematic Sunyaev–Zeldovich Effect in Galaxy Clusters and Filaments Using Multifrequency Temperature Maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background: A399–A401 Cluster Pair Case Study

We present a multifrequency and multi-instrument methodology to study the physical properties of galaxy clusters and cosmic filaments using cosmic microwave background observations. Our approach enables simultaneous measurement of both the thermal (tSZ) and kinematic Sunyaev–Zeldovich (kSZ) effects, incorporates relativistic corrections, and models astrophysical foregrounds such as thermal dust emission. We do this by jointly fitting a single physical model across multiple maps from multiple instruments at different frequencies, rather than fitting a model to a single Compton-y map. We demonstrate the success of this method by fitting the A399–A401 galaxy cluster pair and filament system using archival data from the Planck satellite and new, targeted deep data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, covering 11 different frequencies over 14 maps from 30 GHz to 545 GHz. Our tSZ results are consistent with previous work using Compton-y maps. We measure the line-of-sight peculiar velocities of the cluster–filament system using the kSZ effect and find statistical uncertainties on individual cluster peculiar velocities of ≲600 km s −1 , which are competitive with current state-of-the-art measurements. Additionally, we measure the optical depth of the filament component with a signal-to-noise of 8.5σ and reveal hints of its morphology. This modular approach is well-suited for application to future instruments across a wide range of millimeter and submillimeter wavebands.

Gill, Ajay S. [National Research Council of Canada↗

NASA NTRS2026

The Thermal and Kinematic Sunyaev–Zeldovich Effect in Galaxy Clusters and Filaments Using Multifrequency Temperature Maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background A399–A401 Cluster Pair Case Study

Ajay S Gill↗

DOE OSTI2020

CCCP and MENeaCS: (updated) weak-lensing masses for 100 galaxy clusters

ABSTRACT Large area surveys continue to increase the samples of galaxy clusters that can be used to constrain cosmological parameters, provided that the masses of the clusters are measured robustly. To improve the calibration of cluster masses using weak gravitational lensing we present new results for 48 clusters at 0.05 < z < 0.15, observed as part of the Multi Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey, and re-evaluate the mass estimates for 52 clusters from the Canadian Cluster Comparison Project. Updated high-fidelity photometric redshift catalogues of reference deep fields are used in combination with advances in shape measurements and state-of-the-art cluster simulations, yielding an average systematic uncertainty in the lensing signal below 5 per cent, similar to the statistical uncertainty for our cluster sample. We derive a scaling relation with Planck measurements for the full sample and find a bias in the Planck masses of 1 − b = 0.84 ± 0.04 (stat) ±0.05 (syst). We find no statistically significant trend of the mass bias with redshift or cluster mass, but find that different selections could change the bias by up to 0.07. We find a gas fraction of 0.139 ± 0.014 (stat) for eight relaxed clusters in our sample, which can also be used to infer cosmological parameters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Physical Properties and Purity of a Galaxy Cluster Sample Selected Via the Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich Effect

We present optical and X-ray properties for the first confirmed galaxy cluster sample selected by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect from 148 GHz maps over 455 square degrees of sky made with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. These maps. coupled with multi-band imaging on 4-meter-class optical telescopes, have yielded a sample of 23 galaxy clusters with redshifts between 0.118 and 1.066. Of these 23 clusters, 10 are newly discovered. The selection of this sample is approximately mass limited and essentially independent of redshift. We provide optical positions, images, redshifts and X-ray fluxes and luminosities for the full sample, and X-ray temperatures of an important subset. The mass limit of the full sample is around 8.0 x 10(exp 14) Stellar Mass. with a number distribution that peaks around a redshift of 0.4. For the 10 highest significance SZE-selected cluster candidates, all of which are optically confirmed, the mass threshold is 1 x 10(exp 15) Stellar Mass and the redshift range is 0.167 to 1.066. Archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton. and ROSAT provide X-ray luminosities and temperatures that are broadly consistent with this mass threshold. Our optical follow-up procedure also allowed us to assess the purity of the ACT cluster sample. Eighty (one hundred) percent of the 148 GHz candidates with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5.1 (5.7) are confirmed as massive clusters. The reported sample represents one of the largest SZE-selected sample of massive clusters over all redshifts within a cosmologically-significant survey volume, which will enable cosmological studies as well as future studies on the evolution, morphology, and stellar populations in the most massive clusters in the Universe.

Menanteau, Felipe↗

DOE OSTI2021

Core Mass Estimates in Strong Lensing Galaxy Clusters Using a Single-halo Lens Model

The core mass of galaxy clusters is an important probe of structure formation. Here we evaluate the use of a single-halo model (SHM) as an efficient method to estimate the strong lensing cluster core mass, testing it with ray-traced images from the Outer Rim simulation. Unlike detailed lens models, the SHM represents the cluster mass distribution with a single halo and can be automatically generated from the measured lensing constraints. In this work we find that the projected core mass estimated with this method, $M_{\text{SHM}}$, has a scatter of 8.52% and a bias of 0.90% compared to the "true" mass within the same aperture. Our analysis shows no systematic correlation between the scatter or bias and the lens-source system properties. The bias and scatter can be reduced to 3.26% and 0.34%, respectively, by excluding models that fail a visual inspection test. We find that the SHM success depends on the lensing geometry, with single giant arc configurations accounting for most of the failed cases due to their limiting constraining power. When excluding such cases, we measure a scatter and bias of 3.88% and 0.84%, respectively. Finally, we find that when the source redshift is unknown, the model-predicted redshifts are overestimated, and the $M_{\text{SHM}}$ is underestimated by a few percent, highlighting the importance of securing spectroscopic redshifts of background sources. Our analysis provides a quantitative characterization of $M_{\text{SHM}}$, enabling its efficient use as a tool to estimate the strong lensing cluster core masses in the large samples, expected from current and future surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

The MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey I. Survey Overview and Highlights

MeerKAT’s large number (64) of 13.5 m diameter antennas, spanning 8 km with a densely packed 1 km core, create a powerful instrument for wide-area surveys, with high sensitivity over a wide range of angular scales. The MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS) is a programme of long-track MeerKAT L-band (900–1670 MHz) observations of 115 galaxy clusters, observed for ~6–10 h each in full polarisation. The first legacy product data release (DR1), made available with this paper, includes the MeerKAT visibilities, basic image cubes at ~8" resolution, and enhanced spectral and polarisation image cubes at ~8" and 15" resolutions. Typical sensitivities for the full-resolution MGCLS image products range from ~3–5 μJy beam –1 . The basic cubes are full-field and span 2° × 2°. The enhanced products consist of the inner 1.2° × 1.2° field of view, corrected for the primary beam. The survey is fully sensitive to structures up to ~10' scales, and the wide bandwidth allows spectral and Faraday rotation mapping. Relatively narrow frequency channels (209 kHz) are also used to provide H I mapping in windows of 0 < z < 0.09 and 0.19 < z < 0.48. Here, in this paper, we provide an overview of the survey and the DR1 products, including caveats for usage. We present some initial results from the survey, both for their intrinsic scientific value and to highlight the capabilities for further exploration with these data. These include a primary-beam-corrected compact source catalogue of ~626 000 sources for the full survey and an optical and infrared cross-matched catalogue for compact sources in the primary-beam-corrected areas of Abell 209 and Abell S295. We examine dust unbiased star-formation rates as a function of cluster-centric radius in Abell 209, extending out to 3.5 R 200 . We find no dependence of the star-formation rate on distance from the cluster centre, and we observe a small excess of the radio-to-100 μm flux ratio towards the centre of Abell 209 that may reflect a ram pressure enhancement in the denser environment. We detect diffuse cluster radio emission in 62 of the surveyed systems and present a catalogue of the 99 diffuse cluster emission structures, of which 56 are new. These include mini-halos, halos, relics, and other diffuse structures for which no suitable characterisation currently exists. We highlight some of the radio galaxies that challenge current paradigms, such as trident-shaped structures, jets that remain well collimated far beyond their bending radius, and filamentary features linked to radio galaxies that likely illuminate magnetic flux tubes in the intracluster medium. We also present early results from the H I analysis of four clusters, which show a wide variety of H I mass distributions that reflect both sensitivity and intrinsic cluster effects, and the serendipitous discovery of a group in the foreground of Abell 3365.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Constraining gas motion and non-thermal pressure beyond the core of the Abell 2029 galaxy cluster with XRISM

We report on a detailed spectroscopic study of the gas dynamics and hydrostatic mass bias of the galaxy cluster Abell 2029, utilizing high-resolution observations from XRISM Resolve. Abell 2029, known for its cool core and relaxed X-ray morphology, provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the influence of gas motions beyond the central region. Expanding upon prior studies that revealed low turbulence and bulk motions within the core, our analysis covers regions out to the scale radius $R_{2500}$ (670 kpc) based on three radial pointings extending from the cluster center toward the northern side. We obtain accurate measurements of bulk and turbulent velocities along the line of sight. The results indicate that non-thermal pressure accounts for no more than 2% of the total pressure at all radii, with a gradual decrease outward. The observed radial trend differs from many numerical simulations, which often predict an increase in non-thermal pressure fraction at larger radii. These findings suggest that deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium are small, leading to a hydrostatic mass bias of around 2% across the observed area.

X-rays: galaxies: clusters↗