Sample Of Galaxy Clusters Research Articles

Evolution of CMB temperature in a Chaplygin gas model from deep learning perspective

Evolution of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation temperature is investigated in the context of modified generalized Chaplygin gas (mgCG) model with a Deep Neural Network (DNN) analysis. First, we reconstruct a new formulation for the temperature-red shift relation of the CMB photons and then find out the best-fitting values of the arbitrary parameters introduced in the model via the help of a neural network mechanism including the genetic algorithm (GA) and the Fisher information matrix (FIM) approach (we name this mechanism as the genetic Fisher algorithm or shortly the GFA) by considering astrophysical measurements given in literature for some galaxy cluster and quasar samples. Subsequently, we apply the long short-term memory plus Dropout (LSTMD) neural network approach, which is emerging as a solution for problematic issues in the DNN investigations (e.g. the over-fitting), to well-known astrophysical parameters. In view of the presented conclusions, the whole mechanism comes forward as a new up and coming step on how one can cultivate a new neural network that can calculate its own confidence region. In addition to this, it is significant to emphasize here that the promising approach helps to decrease the computational load of pricey codes for astrophysical models and probes the necessity of alternative CMB radiation temperature models. As a result, we prove that the fitted form of our model is in very good agreement with the observational data. • We constructed a new theoretical model for the evolution CMB radiation temperature. • New model was fitted by making use of the recent observational data. • The fitting process was improved with the help of deep learning analysis. • The fitted model agrees with the current experimental data and the Λ CDM cosmology. • We showed that deep learning algorithms can take crucial roles in astrophysics.

Stability of Cool Cores during Galaxy Cluster Growth: A Joint Chandra/SPT Analysis of 67 Galaxy Clusters along a Common Evolutionary Track Spanning 9 Gyr

Abstract We present the results of a joint analysis of Chandra X-ray and South Pole Telescope (SPT) Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) observations targeting the first sample of galaxy clusters at 0.3 < z < 1.3, selected to be the progenitors of well-studied nearby clusters based on their expected accretion rate. We develop a new procedure in order to tackle the analysis challenge that is estimating the intracluster medium (ICM) properties of low-mass and high-redshift clusters with ∼150 X-ray counts. One of the dominant sources of uncertainty on the ICM density profile estimated with a standard X-ray analysis with such shallow X-ray data is due to the systematic uncertainty associated with the ICM temperature obtained through the analysis of the background-dominated X-ray spectrum. We show that we can decrease the uncertainty on the density profile by a factor varying between 2 and 8 with a joint deprojection of the X-ray surface brightness profile measured by Chandra and the SZ-integrated Compton parameter available in the SPT cluster catalog. We apply this technique to the whole sample of 67 clusters in order to track the evolution of the ICM core density during cluster growth. We confirm that the evolution of the gas density profile is well modeled by the combination of a fixed core and a self-similarly evolving non-cool-core profile. We show that the fraction of cool cores in this sample is remarkably stable with redshift although clusters have gained a factor of ∼4 in total mass over the past ∼9 Gyr.

AMICO galaxy clusters in KiDS-DR3

Context. The large-scale mass distribution around dark matter haloes hosting galaxy clusters provides sensitive cosmological information. Aims. In this work we make use of a large photometric galaxy cluster sample, constructed from the public Third Data Release of the Kilo-Degree Survey, and the corresponding shear signal, to assess cluster masses and test the concordance Λ-cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. In particular, we study the weak gravitational lensing effects on scales beyond the cluster virial radius, where the signal is dominated by correlated and uncorrelated matter density distributions along the line of sight. The analysed catalogue consists of 6962 galaxy clusters, in the redshift range 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.6 and with signal-to-noise ratios higher than 3.5. Methods. We perform a full Bayesian analysis to model the stacked shear profiles of these clusters. The adopted likelihood function considers both the small-scale one-halo term, used primarily to constrain the cluster structural properties, and the two-halo term, that can be used to constrain cosmological parameters. Results. We find that the adopted modelling is successful in assessing both the cluster masses and the total matter density parameter, ΩM, when fitting shear profiles up to the largest available scales of 35 Mpc h−1. Moreover, our results provide a strong observational evidence of the two-halo signal in the stacked gravitational lensing of galaxy clusters, further demonstrating the reliability of this probe for cosmological studies. The main result of this work is a robust constraint on ΩM, assuming a flat ΛCDM cosmology. We get ΩM = 0.29 ± 0.02, estimated from the full posterior probability distribution, consistent with the estimates from cosmic microwave background experiments.

The Cosmic Large-Scale Structure in X-rays (CLASSIX) Cluster Survey

The Perseus-Pisces supercluster is known as one of the largest structures in the nearby Universe that has been charted by the galaxy and galaxy cluster distributions. For the latter mostly clusters from the Abell catalogue have been used. Here we take a new approach to a quantitative characterisation of the Perseus-Pisces supercluster using a statistically complete sample of X-ray luminous galaxy groups and clusters from our CLASSIX galaxy cluster redshift survey. We used a friends-of-friends technique to construct the supercluster membership. We also studied the structure of the Southern Great Wall, which merges with the Perseus-Pisces supercluster with a slightly increased friends-of-friends linking length. In this work we discuss the geometric structure of the superclusters, compare the X-ray luminosity distribution of the members with that of the surroundings, and provide an estimate of the supercluster mass. These results establish Perseus-Pisces as the largest superstructure in the Universe at redshifts z ≤ 0.03. With the new data this supercluster extends through the zone of avoidance, which has also been indicated by some studies of the galaxy distribution by means of HI observations. We investigated whether the shapes of the member groups and clusters in X-rays are aligned with the major axis of the supercluster. We find no evidence for a pronounced alignment, except for the ellipticities of Perseus and AWM7, which are aligned with the separation vector of the two systems and weakly with the supercluster.

Exploring the spectral properties of radio relics – I: integrated spectral index and Mach number

ABSTRACT Radio relics are the manifestation of electrons presumably being shock (re-)accelerated to high energies in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. However, estimates of the shocks’ strength yield different results when measured with radio or X-ray observations. In general, Mach numbers obtained from radio observations are larger than the corresponding X-ray measurements. In this work, we investigate this Mach number discrepancy. For this purpose, we used the cosmological code enzo to simulate a sample of galaxy clusters that host bright radio relics. For each relic, we computed the radio Mach number from the integrated radio spectrum and the X-ray Mach number from the X-ray surface brightness and temperature jumps. Our analysis suggests that the differences in the Mach number estimates follow from the way in which different observables are related to different parts of the underlying Mach number distribution: radio observations are more sensistive to the high Mach numbers present only in a small fraction of a shock’s surface, while X-ray measurements reflect the average of the Mach number distribution. Moreover, X-ray measurements are very sensitive to the relic’s orientation. If the same relic is observed from different sides, the measured X-ray Mach number varies significantly. On the other hand, the radio measurements are more robust, as they are unaffected by the relic’s orientation.

Characterizing hydrostatic mass bias with mock-X

ABSTRACT Surveys in the next decade will deliver large samples of galaxy clusters that transform our understanding of their formation. Cluster astrophysics and cosmology studies will become systematics limited with samples of this magnitude. With known properties, hydrodynamical simulations of clusters provide a vital resource for investigating potential systematics. However, this is only realized if we compare simulations to observations in the correct way. Here we introduce the mock-X analysis framework, a multiwavelength tool that generates synthetic images from cosmological simulations and derives halo properties via observational methods. We detail our methods for generating optical, Compton-y and X-ray images. Outlining our synthetic X-ray image analysis method, we demonstrate the capabilities of the framework by exploring hydrostatic mass bias for the IllustrisTNG, BAHAMAS, and MACSIS simulations. Using simulation derived profiles we find an approximately constant bias b ≈ 0.13 with cluster mass, independent of hydrodynamical method, or subgrid physics. However, the hydrostatic bias derived from synthetic observations is mass-dependent, increasing to b = 0.3 for the most massive clusters. This result is driven by a single temperature fit to a spectrum produced by gas with a wide temperature distribution in quasi-pressure equilibrium. The spectroscopic temperature and mass estimate are biased low by cooler gas dominating the emission, due to its quadratic density dependence. The bias and the scatter in estimated mass remain independent of the numerical method and subgrid physics. Our results are consistent with current observations and future surveys will contain sufficient samples of massive clusters to confirm the mass dependence of the hydrostatic bias.

MERGHERS pilot: MeerKAT discovery of diffuse emission in nine massive Sunyaev–Zel’dovich-selected galaxy clusters from ACT

ABSTRACT The MeerKAT Exploration of Relics, Giant Halos, and Extragalactic Radio Sources (MERGHERS) survey is a planned project to study a large statistical sample of galaxy clusters with the MeerKAT observatory. Here we present the results of a 16-h pilot project, observed in response to the 2019 MeerKAT Shared Risk proposal call, to test the feasibility of using MeerKAT for a large cluster study using short (0.2–2.1 h) integration times. The pilot focuses on 1.28-GHz observations of 13 massive, low-to-intermediate redshift (0.22 < z < 0.65) clusters from the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich-selected Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) DR5 catalogue that show multiwavelength indications of dynamical disturbance. With a 70 per cent detection rate (9/13 clusters), this pilot study validates our proposed MERGHERS observing strategy and provides twelve detections of diffuse emission, eleven of them new, indicating the strength of MeerKAT for such types of studies. The detections (signal-to-noise ratio ≳ 6) are summarized as follows: two systems host both relic(s) and a giant radio halo, five systems host radio haloes, and two have candidate radio haloes. Power values, k-corrected to 1.4 GHz, assuming a fiducial spectral index of α = −1.3 ± 0.4, are consistent with known radio halo and relic scaling relations.

LoCuSS: The Splashback Radius of Massive Galaxy Clusters and Its Dependence on Cluster Merger History

Abstract We present the direct detection of the splashback feature using the sample of massive galaxy clusters from the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS). This feature is clearly detected (above 5σ) in the stacked luminosity density profile obtained using the K-band magnitudes of spectroscopically confirmed cluster members. We obtained the best-fit model by means of Bayesian inference, which ranked models including the splashback feature as more descriptive of the data with respect to models that do not allow for this transition. In addition, we have assessed the impact of the cluster dynamical state on the occurrence of the splashback feature. We exploited the extensive multiwavelength LoCuSS data set to test a wide range of proxies for the cluster formation history, finding the most significant dependence of the splashback feature location and scale according to the presence or absence of X-ray emitting galaxy groups in the cluster infall regions. In particular, we report for the first time that clusters that do not show massive infalling groups present the splashback feature at a smaller clustercentric radius r sp/r 200,m = 1.158 ± 0.071 than clusters that are actively accreting groups r sp/r 200,m = 1.291 ± 0.062. The difference between these two subsamples is significant at 4.2σ, suggesting a correlation between the properties of the cluster potential and its accretion rate and merger history. Similarly, clusters that are classified as old and dynamically inactive present stronger signatures of the splashback feature, with respect to younger, more active clusters. We are directly observing how fundamental dynamical properties of clusters reverberate across vastly different physical scales.

Understanding X-ray and optical selection of galaxy clusters: a comparison of the XXL and CAMIRA cluster catalogues obtained in the common XXL-HSC SSP area

ABSTRACT Large samples of galaxy clusters provide knowledge of both astrophysics in the most massive virialized environments and the properties of the cosmological model that defines our Universe. However, an important issue that affects the interpretation of galaxy cluster samples is the role played by the selection waveband and the potential for this to introduce a bias in the physical properties of clusters thus selected. We aim to investigate waveband-dependent selection effects in the identification of galaxy clusters by comparing the X-ray MultiMirror (XMM) Ultimate Extra-galactic Survey (XXL) and Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) CAMIRA cluster samples identified from a common 22.6 deg2 sky area. We compare 150 XXL and 270 CAMIRA clusters in a common parameter space defined by X-ray aperture brightness and optical richness. We find that 71/150 XXL clusters are matched to the location of a CAMIRA cluster, the majority of which (67/71) display richness values N > 15 that exceed the CAMIRA catalogue richness threshold. We find that 67/270 CAMIRA clusters are matched to the location of an XXL cluster (defined within XXL as an extended X-ray source). Of the unmatched CAMIRA clusters, the majority display low X-ray fluxes consistent with the lack of an XXL counterpart. However, a significant fraction (64/107) CAMIRA clusters that display high X-ray fluxes are not associated with an extended source in the XXL catalogue. We demonstrate that this disparity arises from a variety of effects including the morphological criteria employed to identify X-ray clusters and the properties of the XMM PSF.

Searching for Mg ii absorbers in and around galaxy clusters

ABSTRACT To study environmental effects on the circumgalactic medium (CGM), we use the samples of redMaPPer galaxy clusters, background quasars, and cluster galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). With ∼82 000 quasar spectra, we detect 197 Mg ii absorbers in and around the clusters. The detection rate per quasar is 2.7 ± 0.7 times higher inside the clusters than outside the clusters, indicating that Mg ii absorbers are relatively abundant in clusters. However, when considering the galaxy number density, the absorber-to-galaxy ratio is rather low inside the clusters. If we assume that Mg ii absorbers are mainly contributed by the CGM of massive star-forming galaxies, a typical halo size of cluster galaxies is smaller than that of field galaxies by 30 ± 10 per cent. This finding supports that galaxy haloes can be truncated by interaction with the host cluster.

The probability distribution of 3D shapes of galaxy clusters from 2D X-ray images

ABSTRACT We present a new method to determine the probability distribution of the 3D shapes of galaxy clusters from the 2D images using stereology. In contrast to the conventional approach of combining different data sets (such as X-rays, Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect, and lensing) to fit a 3D model of a galaxy cluster for each cluster, our method requires only a single data set, such as X-ray observations or Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect observations, consisting of sufficiently large number of clusters. Instead of reconstructing the 3D shape of an individual object, we recover the probability distribution function (PDF) of the 3D shapes of the observed galaxy clusters. The shape PDF is the relevant statistical quantity, which can be compared with the theory and used to test the cosmological models. We apply this method to publicly available Chandra X-ray data of 89 well-resolved galaxy clusters. Assuming ellipsoidal shapes, we find that our sample of galaxy clusters is a mixture of prolate and oblate shapes, with a preference for oblateness with the most probable ratio of principle axes 1.4 : 1.3 : 1. The ellipsoidal assumption is not essential to our approach and our method is directly applicable to non-ellipsoidal shapes. Our method is insensitive to the radial density and temperature profiles of the cluster. Our method is sensitive to the changes in shape of the X-ray emitting gas from inner to outer regions and we find evidence for variation in the 3D shape of the X-ray emitting gas with distance from the centre.

Radio halos in a mass-selected sample of 75 galaxy clusters

Context. Radio halos are synchrotron diffuse sources at the centre of a fraction of galaxy clusters. The study of large samples of clusters with adequate radio and X-ray data is necessary to investigate the origin of radio halos and their connection with the cluster dynamics and formation history. Aims. The aim of this paper is to compile a well-selected sample of galaxy clusters with deep radio observations to perform an unbiased statistical study of the properties of radio halos. Methods. We selected 75 clusters with M ≥ 6 × 1014 M⊙ at z = 0.08 − 0.33 from the Planck Sunyaev-Zel’dovich catalogue. Clusters without suitable radio data were observed with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and/or the Jansky Very Large Array to complete the information about the possible presence of diffuse emission. We used archival Chandra X-ray data to derive information on the clusters’ dynamical states. Results. This observational campaign led to the detection of several cluster-scale diffuse radio sources and candidates that deserve future follow-up observations. Here we summarise their properties and add information resulting from our new observations. For the clusters where we did not detect any hint of diffuse emission, we derived new upper limits to their diffuse flux. Conclusions. We have built the largest mass-selected (> 80% complete in mass) sample of galaxy clusters with deep radio observations available to date. The statistical analysis of the sample, which includes the connection between radio halos and cluster mergers, the radio power – mass correlation, and the occurrence of radio halos as a function of the cluster mass, will be presented in Paper II.

Radio halos in a mass-selected sample of 75 galaxy clusters

Context. Many galaxy clusters host megaparsec-scale diffuse radio sources called radio halos. Their origin is tightly connected to the processes that lead to the formation of clusters themselves. In order to reveal this connection, statistical studies of the radio properties of clusters combined with their thermal properties are necessary. For this purpose, we selected a sample of galaxy clusters with M500 ≥ 6 × 1014 M⊙ and z = 0.08 − 0.33 from the Planck Sunyaev–Zel’dovich catalogue. In Paper I, we presented the radio and X-ray data analysis that we carried out on the clusters of this sample. Aims. In this paper we exploit the wealth of data presented in Paper I to study the radio properties of the sample, in connection to the mass and dynamical state of clusters. Methods. We used the dynamical information derived from the X-ray data to assess the role of mergers in the origin of radio halos. We studied the distribution of clusters in the radio power–mass diagram, the scaling between the radio luminosity of radio halos and the mass of the host clusters, and the role of dynamics in the radio luminosity and emissivity of radio halos. We measured the occurrence of radio halos as a function of the cluster mass and we compared it with the expectations of models developed in the framework of turbulent acceleration. Results. We find that more than the 90% of radio halos are in merging clusters and that their radio power correlates with the mass of the host clusters. The correlation shows a large dispersion. Interestingly, we show that cluster dynamics contributes significantly to this dispersion, with more disturbed clusters being more radio luminous. Clusters without radio halos are generally relaxed, and the upper limits to their diffuse emission lie below the correlation. Moreover, we show that the radio emissivity of clusters exhibits an apparent bimodality, with the emissivity of radio halos being at least ∼5 times larger than the non-emission associated with more relaxed clusters. We find that the fraction of radio halos drops from ∼70% in high-mass clusters to ∼35% in the lower mass systems in the sample and we show that this result is in good agreement with the expectations from turbulent re-acceleration models.

Mass–Velocity Dispersion Relation in HIFLUGCS Galaxy Clusters

Abstract We investigate the mass–velocity dispersion relation (MVDR) in 29 galaxy clusters in the HIghest X-ray FLUx Galaxy Cluster Sample (HIFLUGCS). We measure the spatially resolved, line-of-sight velocity dispersion profiles of these clusters, which we find to be mostly flat at large radii, reminiscent of the rotation curves of galaxies. We discover a tight empirical relation between the baryonic mass M bar and the flat velocity dispersion σ of the member galaxies, i.e., MVDR, log ( M bar / M ⊙ ) = 4.1 − 0.4 + 0.4 log ( σ / km s − 1 ) + 1.6 − 1.3 + 1.0 , with the lognormal intrinsic scatter of 12 − 3 + 3 % . The residuals of the MVDR are uncorrelated with other cluster properties like temperature, cluster radius, baryonic mass surface density, and redshift. These characteristics are reminiscent of the MVDR for individual galaxies, albeit at about a ten times larger characteristic acceleration scale. The cluster baryon fraction falls short of the cosmic value, exposing a problem: the discrepancy increases systematically for clusters of lower mass and lower baryonic acceleration.

The eROSITA X-ray telescope on SRG

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the primary instrument on the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission, which was successfully launched on July 13, 2019, from the Baikonour cosmodrome. After the commissioning of the instrument and a subsequent calibration and performance verification phase, eROSITA started a survey of the entire sky on December 13, 2019. By the end of 2023, eight complete scans of the celestial sphere will have been performed, each lasting six months. At the end of this program, the eROSITA all-sky survey in the soft X-ray band (0.2–2.3 keV) will be about 25 times more sensitive than the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, while in the hard band (2.3–8 keV) it will provide the first ever true imaging survey of the sky. The eROSITA design driving science is the detection of large samples of galaxy clusters up to redshiftsz> 1 in order to study the large-scale structure of the universe and test cosmological models including Dark Energy. In addition, eROSITA is expected to yield a sample of a few million AGNs, including obscured objects, revolutionizing our view of the evolution of supermassive black holes. The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including X-ray binaries, active stars, and diffuse emission within the Galaxy. Results from early observations, some of which are presented here, confirm that the performance of the instrument is able to fulfil its scientific promise. With this paper, we aim to give a concise description of the instrument, its performance as measured on ground, its operation in space, and also the first results from in-orbit measurements.

The WaZP galaxy cluster sample of the dark energy survey year 1

ABSTRACT We present a new (2+1)D galaxy cluster finder based on photometric redshifts called Wavelet Z Photometric (WaZP) applied to DES first year (Y1A1) data. The results are compared to clusters detected by the South Pole Telescope (SPT) survey and the redMaPPer cluster finder, the latter based on the same photometric data. WaZP searches for clusters in wavelet-based density maps of galaxies selected in photometric redshift space without any assumption on the cluster galaxy populations. The comparison to other cluster samples was performed with a matching algorithm based on angular proximity and redshift difference of the clusters. It led to the development of a new approach to match two optical cluster samples, following an iterative approach to minimize incorrect associations. The WaZP cluster finder applied to DES Y1A1 galaxy survey (1511.13 deg2 up to mi = 23 mag) led to the detection of 60 547 galaxy clusters with redshifts 0.05 < z < 0.9 and richness Ngals ≥ 5. Considering the overlapping regions and redshift ranges between the DES Y1A1 and SPT cluster surveys, all sz based SPT clusters are recovered by the WaZP sample. The comparison between WaZP and redMaPPer cluster samples showed an excellent overall agreement for clusters with richness Ngals (λ for redMaPPer) greater than 25 (20), with 95 per cent recovery on both directions. Based on the cluster cross-match, we explore the relative fragmentation of the two cluster samples and investigate the possible signatures of unmatched clusters.

SITELLE Hα Imaging Spectroscopy of z ∼ 0.25 Clusters: Emission-line Galaxy Detection and Ionized Gas Offset in Abell 2390 and Abell 2465

Abstract Environmental effects are crucial to the understanding of the evolution of galaxies in dense environments, such as galaxy clusters. Using the large field of view of SITELLE, the unique imaging Fourier transform spectrograph at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, we are able to obtain 2D spectral information for a large and complete sample of cluster galaxies out to the infall region. We describe a pipeline developed to identify emission-line galaxies (ELGs) from the datacube using cross-correlation techniques. We present results based on the spatial offsets between the emission-line regions and stellar continua in ELGs from two z ∼ 0.25 galaxy clusters, Abell 2390 and A2465. We find a preference for the offsets to be pointed away from the cluster center. Combining the two clusters, there is a 3σ excess for high-velocity galaxies within the virial radius to have the offsets pointed away from the cluster center. Assuming the offset is a proxy for the velocity vector of a galaxy, as expected from ram pressure stripping, this excess indicates that ram pressure stripping occurs most effectively during the first passage of an infalling galaxy, leading to the quenching of its star formation. We also find that, outside the virial region, the continuum-normalized Hα line flux for infalling galaxies with large offsets is on average lower than those with small or no measurable offset, further supporting ram pressure as a dominant quenching mechanism during the initial infall stages.

Clustering of CODEX clusters

Context. The clustering of galaxy clusters links the spatial nonuniformity of dark matter halos to the growth of the primordial spectrum of perturbations. The amplitude of the clustering signal is widely used to estimate the halo mass of astrophysical objects. The advent of cluster mass calibrations enables using clustering in cosmological studies. Aims. We analyze the autocorrelation function of a large contiguous sample of galaxy clusters, the Constrain Dark Energy with X-ray (CODEX) sample, in which we take particular care of cluster definition. These clusters were X-ray selected using the ROentgen SATellite All-Sky Survey and then identified as galaxy clusters using the code redMaPPer run on the photometry of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We develop methods for precisely accounting for the sample selection effects on the clustering and demonstrate their robustness using numerical simulations. Methods. Using the clean CODEX sample, which was obtained by applying a redshift-dependent richness selection, we computed the two-point autocorrelation function of galaxy clusters in the 0.1 < z < 0.3 and 0.3 < z < 0.5 redshift bins. We compared the bias in the measured correlation function with values obtained in numerical simulations using a similar cluster mass range. Results. By fitting a power law, we measured a correlation length r0 = 18.7 ± 1.1 and slope γ = 1.98 ± 0.14 for the correlation function in the full redshift range. By fixing the other cosmological parameters to their nine-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe values, we reproduced the observed shape of the correlation function under the following cosmological conditions: Ωm0 = 0.22−0.03+0.04 and S8 = σ8(Ωm0/0.3)0.5 = 0.85−0.08+0.10 with estimated additional systematic errors of σΩm0 = 0.02 and σS8 = 0.20. We illustrate the complementarity of clustering constraints by combining them with CODEX cosmological constraints based on the X-ray luminosity function, deriving Ωm0 = 0.25 ± 0.01 and σ8 = 0.81−0.02+0.01 with an estimated additional systematic error of σΩm0 = 0.07 and σσ8 = 0.04. The mass calibration and statistical quality of the mass tracers are the dominant source of uncertainty.

Simulated differential observations of the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect: probing the dark ages and epoch of reionization

This work presents an analytical approach for studying the cosmological 21cm background signal from the Dark Ages (DA) and subsequent Epoch of Reionization (EoR). We simulate differential observations of a galaxy cluster to demonstrate how these epochs can be studied with a specific form of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect called the SZE-21cm. This work produces simulated maps of the SZE-21cm and shows that the SZE-21cm can be extracted from future observations with low-frequency radio interferometers such as the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). In order to simulate near realistic scenarios, we look into cosmic variance noise, incorporate and take into account the effects of foregrounds, thermal noise, and angular resolution for our simulated observations. We further extend this exploration by averaging over a sample of galaxy clusters to mitigate the effects of cosmic variance and instrumental noise. The impact of point source contamination is also studied. Lastly, we apply this technique to the results of the EDGES collaboration, which in 2018 reported an absorption feature of the global 21cm background signal centred at 78 MHz. The challenges to be addressed in order to achieve the objectives of this work include errors that arise due to cosmic variation, instrumental noise and point source contamination. Our approach demonstrates the potential of the SZE-21cm as an indirect probe for the DA and EoR, and we conclude that the spectral features of the SZE-21cm from our simulated observations yield results that are close to prior theoretical predictions and that the SZE-21cm can be used to test the validity of the EDGES detection.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Weighing Distant Clusters with the Most Ancient Light

Abstract We use gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to measure the mass of the most distant blindly selected sample of galaxy clusters on which a lensing measurement has been performed to date. In CMB data from the the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Planck satellite, we detect the stacked lensing effect from 677 near-infrared-selected galaxy clusters from the Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS), which have a mean redshift of . There are currently no representative optical weak lensing measurements of clusters that match the distance and average mass of this sample. We detect the lensing signal with a significance of . We model the signal with a halo model framework to find the mean mass of the population from which these clusters are drawn. Assuming that the clusters follow Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) density profiles, we infer a mean mass of . We consider systematic uncertainties from cluster redshift errors, centering errors, and the shape of the NFW profile. These are all smaller than 30% of our reported uncertainty. This work highlights the potential of CMB lensing to enable cosmological constraints from the abundance of distant clusters populating ever larger volumes of the observable universe, beyond the capabilities of optical weak lensing measurements.