We study the stellar, brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) and intracluster medium (ICM) masses of 14 South Pole Telescope (SPT) selected galaxy clusters with median redshift z = 0.9 and mass M
...500 = 6 × 1014 M⊙. We estimate stellar masses for each cluster and BCG using six photometric bands, the ICM mass using X-ray observations and the virial masses using the SPT Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect signature. At z = 0.9, the BCG mass
$M_{\star }^{\mathrm{BCG}}$
constitutes 0.12 ± 0.01 per cent of the halo mass for a 6 × 1014 M⊙ cluster, and this fraction falls as
$M_{500}^{-0.58\pm 0.07}$
. The cluster stellar mass function has a characteristic mass M
0 = 1011.0 ± 0.1 M⊙, and the number of galaxies per unit mass in clusters is larger than in the field by a factor of 1.65 ± 0.20. We combine our SPT sample with previously published samples at low redshift and correct to a common initial mass function and for systematic virial mass differences. We then explore mass and redshift trends in the stellar fraction f
⋆, the ICM fraction f
ICM, the collapsed baryon fraction f
c and the baryon fraction f
b. At a pivot mass of 6 × 1014 M⊙ and redshift z = 0.9, the characteristic values are f
⋆ = 1.1 ± 0.1 per cent, f
ICM = 9.6 ± 0.5 per cent, f
c = 10.7 ± 1.1 per cent and f
b = 10.7 ± 0.6 per cent. These fractions all vary with cluster mass at high significance, with higher mass clusters having lower f
⋆ and f
c and higher f
ICM and f
b. When accounting for a 15 per cent systematic virial mass uncertainty, there is no statistically significant redshift trend at fixed mass. Our results support the scenario where clusters grow through accretion from subclusters (higher f
⋆, lower f
ICM) and the field (lower f
⋆, higher f
ICM), balancing to keep f
⋆ and f
ICM approximately constant since z ∼ 0.9.
X-ray observations of galaxy clusters reveal a large range of morphologies with various degrees of disturbance, showing that the assumptions of hydrostatic equilibrium and spherical shape, which are ...used to determine the cluster mass from X-ray data are not always satisfied. It is therefore important for the understanding of cluster properties as well as for cosmological applications to detect and quantify substructure in X-ray images of galaxy clusters. Two promising methods to do so are power ratios and center shifts. Since these estimators can be heavily affected by Poisson noise and X-ray background, we performed an extensive analysis of their statistical properties using a large sample of simulated X-ray observations of clusters from hydrodynamical simulations. We quantify the measurement bias and error in detail and give ranges where morphological analysis is feasible. A new, computationally fast method to correct for the Poisson bias and the X-ray background contribution in power ratio and center shift measurements is presented and tested for typical XMM-Newton observational data sets. We studied the morphology of 121 simulated cluster images and established structure boundaries to divide samples into relaxed, mildly disturbed and disturbed clusters. In addition, we present a new morphology estimator – the peak of the 0.3–1 r500P3/P0 profile to better identify merging clusters. The analysis methods were applied to a sample of 80 galaxy clusters observed with XMM-Newton. We give structure parameters (P3/P0 in r500, w and P3/P0max) for all 80 observed clusters. Using our definition of the P3/P0 (w) substructure boundary, we find 41% (47%) of our observed clusters to be disturbed.
We report on the discovery of a very distant galaxy cluster serendipitously detected in the archive of the XMM-Newton mission, within the scope of the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project (XDCP). ...XMMUJ0044.0-2033 was detected at a high significance level (5σ) as a compact, but significantly extended source in the X-ray data, with a soft-band flux f(r < 40″) = (1.5 ± 0.3) × 10-14 erg s-1 cm2. Optical/NIR follow-up observations confirmed the presence of an overdensity of red galaxies matching the X-ray emission. The cluster was spectroscopically confirmed to be at z = 1.579 using ground-based VLT/FORS2 spectroscopy. The analysis of the I − H colour − magnitude diagram shows a sequence of red galaxies with a colour range 3.7 < I − H < 4.6 within 1′ from the cluster X-ray emission peak. However, the three spectroscopic members (all with complex morphology) have significantly bluer colours relative to the observed red-sequence. In addition, two of the three cluster members have OII emission, indicative of on-going star formation. Using the spectroscopic redshift we estimated the X-ray bolometric luminosity, Lbol,40″ ~ 5.8 × 1044 erg s-1, implying a massive galaxy cluster. This places XMMU J0044.0-2033 at the forefront of massive distant clusters, closing the gap between lower redshift systems and recently discovered proto- and low-mass clusters at z > 1.6.
Context. Recent observational progress has enabled the detection of galaxy clusters and groups out to very high redshifts and for the first time allows detailed studies of galaxy population ...properties in these densest environments in what was formerly known as the “redshift desert” at z> 1.5.Aims. We aim to investigate various galaxy population properties of the massive X-ray luminous galaxy cluster XDCP J0044.0-2033 at z = 1.58, which constitutes the most extreme currently known matter-density peak at this redshift.Methods. We analyzed deep VLT/HAWK-I near-infrared data with an image quality of 0.5′′ and limiting Vega magnitudes (50% completeness) of 24.2 in J- and 22.8 in the Ks band, complemented by similarly deep Subaru imaging in i and V, Spitzer observations at 4.5 μm, and new spectroscopic observations with VLT/FORS 2.Results. We detect a cluster-associated excess population of about 90 galaxies, most of them located within the inner 30′′ (250 kpc) of the X-ray centroid, which follows a centrally peaked, compact NFW galaxy surface-density profile with a concentration of c200 ≃ 10. Based on the Spitzer 4.5 μm imaging data, we measure a total enclosed stellar mass of M∗500 ≃ (6.3 ± 1.6) × 1012 M⊙ and a resulting stellar mass fraction of f∗,500 = M∗,500/M500 = (3.3 ± 1.4)%, consistent with local values. The total J- and Ks-band galaxy luminosity functions of the core region yield characteristic magnitudes J* and Ks* consistent with expectations from simple zf = 3 burst models. However, a detailed look at the morphologies and color distributions of the spectroscopically confirmed members reveals that the most massive galaxies are undergoing a very active mass-assembly epoch through merging processes. Consequently, the bright end of the cluster red sequence is not in place, while a red-locus population is present at intermediate magnitudes Ks*, Ks* + 1.6, which is then sharply truncated at magnitudes fainter than Ks* + 1.6. The dominant cluster-core population comprises post-quenched galaxies transitioning toward the red sequence at intermediate magnitudes, while additionally a significant blue-cloud population of faint star-forming galaxies is present even in the densest central regions. Based on a color−color selection performed to separate different cluster galaxy types, we find that the blue star-forming population is concentrated in clumpy structures and dominates in particular at and beyond the R500 radius. On the other hand, the fraction of post-starburst galaxies steadily increases toward the center, while the red-locus population and red-sequence transition galaxies seem to reach their peak fractions already at intermediate cluster-centric radii of about r ~ 200 kpc.Conclusions. Our observations support the scenario in which the dominant effect of the dense z ≃ 1.6 cluster environment is an accelerated mass-assembly timescale (~1 Gyr or shorter) through merging activity that is responsible for driving core galaxies across the mass-quenching threshold of log (M∗/M⊙) ≃ 10.4. Beyond this mass limit, star formation is suppressed on timescales of ~1 Gyr, while the direct environmental quenching process seems to be subdominant and is acting on significantly longer timescales (~2−3 Gyr).
We report the first investigation of cool-core properties of galaxy clusters selected via their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. We use 13 galaxy clusters uniformly selected from 178 deg super(2) ...observed with the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and followed up by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. They form an approximately mass-limited sample (>3 x 10 super(14) M sub(middot in circle) h super(-1) sub(70)) spanning redshifts 0.3 < z < 1.1. Using previously published X-ray-selected cluster samples, we compare two proxies of cool-core strength: surface brightness concentration (c sub(SB)) and cuspiness (alpha). We find that c sub(SB) is better constrained. We measure c sub(SB) for the SPT sample and find several new z > 0.5 cool-core clusters, including two strong cool cores. This rules out the hypothesis that there are no z > 0.5 clusters that qualify as strong cool cores at the 5.4sigma level. The fraction of strong cool-core clusters in the SPT sample in this redshift regime is between 7% and 56% (95% confidence). Although the SPT selection function is significantly different from the X-ray samples, the high-z c sub(SB) distribution for the SPT sample is statistically consistent with that of X-ray-selected samples at both low and high redshifts. The cool-core strength is inversely correlated with the offset between the brightest cluster galaxy and the X-ray centroid, providing evidence that the dynamical state affects the cool-core strength of the cluster. Larger SZ-selected samples will be crucial in understanding the evolution of cluster cool cores over cosmic time.
We use microwave observations from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) to examine the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect (SZE) signatures of a sample of 46 X-ray selected groups and clusters drawn from ∼6 deg2 of ...the XMM–Newton Blanco Cosmology Survey. These systems extend to redshift z = 1.02 and probe the SZE signal to the lowest X-ray luminosities (≥1042 erg s−1) yet; these sample characteristics make this analysis complementary to previous studies. We develop an analysis tool, using X-ray luminosity as a mass proxy, to extract selection-bias-corrected constraints on the SZE significance and Y
500 mass relations. The former is in good agreement with an extrapolation of the relation obtained from high-mass clusters. However, the latter, at low masses, while in good agreement with the extrapolation from the high-mass SPT clusters, is in tension at 2.8σ with the Planck constraints, indicating the low-mass systems exhibit lower SZE signatures in the SPT data. We also present an analysis of potential sources of contamination. For the radio galaxy point source population, we find 18 of our systems have 843 MHz Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey sources within 2 arcmin of the X-ray centre, and three of these are also detected at significance >4 by SPT. Of these three, two are associated with the group brightest cluster galaxies, and the third is likely an unassociated quasar candidate. We examine the impact of these point sources on our SZE scaling relation analyses and find no evidence of biases. We also examine the impact of dusty galaxies using constraints from the 220 GHz data. The stacked sample provides 2.8σ significant evidence of dusty galaxy flux, which would correspond to an average underestimate of the SPT Y
500 signal that is (17 ± 9) per cent in this sample of low-mass systems. Finally, we explore the impact of future data from SPTpol and XMM-XXL, showing that it will lead to a factor of 4 to 5 tighter constraints on these SZE mass–observable relations.
We report the discovery of a galaxy cluster at z = 1.490 originally selected as an extended X-ray source in the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project. Further observations carried out with the VLT-FORS2 ...spectrograph allowed the spectroscopic confirmation of seven secure cluster members, providing a median system redshift of z = 1.490 ± 0.009. The color-magnitude diagram of XMMU J0338.8+0021 reveals the presence of a well-populated red sequence with z − H ≈ 3, albeit with an apparent significant scatter in color. Since we do not detect indications of any strong star formation activity in these objects, the color spread could represent the different stellar ages of the member galaxies. In addition, we found the brightest cluster galaxy in a very active dynamical state, with an interacting, merging companion located at a physical projected distance of d ≈ 20 kpc. From the X-ray luminosity, we estimate a cluster mass of M200 ~ 1.2 × 1014 M⊙. The data appear to be consistent with a scenario in which XMMU J0338.8+0021 is a young system, possibly caught in a moment of active ongoing mass assembly.
We present a catalog of galaxy cluster candidates, selected through their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect signature in the first 720 deg2 of the South Pole Telescope (SPT) survey. This area was mapped ...with the SPT in the 2008 and 2009 austral winters to a depth of ~18 mu KCMB-arcmin at 150 GHz; 550 deg2 of it was also mapped to ~44 mu KCMB-arcmin at 95 GHz. We report photometrically derived redshifts for confirmed clusters and redshift lower limits for the remaining candidates. The catalog extends to high redshift with a median redshift of z = 0.55 and maximum confirmed redshift of z = 1.37. Forty-five of the clusters have counterparts in the ROSAT bright or faint source catalogs from which we estimate X-ray fluxes. A multi-wavelength observation program to improve the cluster mass calibration will make it possible to realize the full potential of the final 2500 deg2 SPT cluster catalog to constrain cosmology.
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