Self‐Calibration in Cluster Studies of Dark Energy: Combining the Cluster Redshift Distribution, the Power Spectrum, and Mass Measurements

Abstract

We examine the prospects for measuring the dark energy equation of state parameter w within the context of any uncertain redshift evolution of galaxy cluster structure (building on Majumdar and Mohr, 2003) and show that including the redshift averaged cluster power spectrum, P_cl(k), and direct mass measurements of 100 clusters helps tremendously in reducing cosmological parameter uncertainties. Specifically, we show that when combining the redshift distribution and the power spectrum information for a particular X-ray survey (DUET) and two SZE surveys (SPT & Planck), the constraints on the dark energy equation of state w can be improved by roughly a factor of 4. Because surveys designed to study the redshift distribution of clusters will have all the information necessary to construct P_cl(k), the benefit of adding P_cl(k) in reducing uncertainties comes at no additional observational cost. Combining detailed mass studies of 100 clusters with the redshift distribution improves the parameter uncertainties by a factor of 3-5. The data required for these detailed mass measurements-- assumed to have 1sigma uncertainties of 30-- are accumulating in the the XMM-Newton and Chandra archives. The best constraints are obtained when one combines both the power spectrum constraints and mass measurements with the cluster redshift distribution; when using the survey to extract the parameters and evolution of the mass--observable relations, we estimate the uncertainties on w of ~4% to 6%. These parameter constraints are obtained from self-calibrating cluster surveys alone. In combination with CMB or distance measurements that have different parameter degeneracies, cluster studies of dark energy will provide enhanced constraints and allow for cross--checks of systematics.