In an earlier paper we inferred, from the distribution of galaxy redshifts in three small fields ~30{deg} apart, the existence of a 10^6^Mpc^3^ void in the distribution of galaxies in the constellation of Bootes. In this paper, we describe a redshift survey undertaken to test that hypothesis. Galaxies were selected by eye from 283 small fields distributed between the three original fields, and redshifts were measured for 239 of them. We confirm the existence of a large, roughly spherical void, of radius 62Mpc, centered at {alpha}=14h50, {delta}=+46{deg}, v=15500km/s. The low density of this region is of high statistical significance and does not appear easily reconcilable with any of the popular models for the growth of structure in the universe. This void does contain some unusual galaxies characterized by strong, high-excitation emission spectra, but not in sufficient numbers to compensate for the absence of more usual objects.
We present a direct measurement of the mean halo occupation distribution (HOD) of galaxies taken from the eleventh data release (DR11) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). The HOD of BOSS low-redshift (LOWZ: 0.2<z<0.4) and Constant-Mass (CMASS: 0.43<z<0.7) galaxies is inferred via their association with the dark-matter halos of 174 X-ray-selected galaxy clusters drawn from the XMM Cluster Survey (XCS). Halo masses are determined for each galaxy cluster based on X-ray temperature measurements, and range between log_10_(M_180_/M_{sun}_)=13-15. Our directly measured HODs are consistent with the HOD-model fits inferred via the galaxy-clustering analyses of Parejko et al. for the BOSS LOWZ sample and White et al. for the BOSS CMASS sample. Under the simplifying assumption that the other parameters that describe the HOD hold the values measured by these authors, we have determined a best-fit alpha-index of 0.91+/-0.08 and 1.27^+0.03^_-0.04_ for the CMASS and LOWZ HOD, respectively. These alpha-index values are consistent with those measured by White et al. and Parejko et al. In summary, our study provides independent support for the HOD models assumed during the development of the BOSS mock-galaxy catalogues that have subsequently been used to derive BOSS cosmological constraints.
Brightest cluster galaxies bright in 22um (W4BCGs)
Short Name:
J/ApJ/853/47
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) are believed to have assembled most of their stars early in time and therefore should be passively evolving at low redshifts and appear "red-and-dead." However, there have been reports that a minority of low-redshift BCGs still have ongoing star formation rates (SFRs) of a few to even ~100M_{sun}_/yr. Such BCGs are found in "cool-core" ("CC") clusters, and their star formation is thought to be fueled by "cooling flow." To further investigate the implications of low-redshift, star-forming BCGs, we perform a systematic search using the 22{mu}m data ("W4" band) from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) on the GMBCG catalog, which contains 55424 BCGs at 0.1<~z<~0.55 identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our sample consists of 389 BCGs that are bright in W4 ("W4BCGs"), most being brighter than 5mJy. While some (<~20%) might host active galactic nuclei, most W4BCGs should owe their strong mid-IR emissions to dust-enshrouded star formation. Their median total IR luminosity (L_IR_) is 5x10^11^L_{sun}_ (SFR~50M_{sun}_/yr), and 27% of the whole sample has L_IR_>10^12^L_{sun}_ (SFR>100M_{sun}_/yr). Using 10 W4BCGs that have Chandra X-ray data, we show that 7 of them are possibly in CC clusters. However, in most cases (five out of seven) the mass deposition rate cannot account for the observed SFR. This casts doubt on the idea that cooling flows are the cause of the star formation in non-quiescent BCGs.
We have obtained photometry and spectroscopy of 433 z<=0.08 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a full-sky survey of Abell clusters to construct a BCG sample suitable for probing deviations from the local Hubble flow. This sample allows us to explore the structural and photometric properties of BCGs at the present epoch, their location in their hosting galaxy clusters, and the effects of the cluster environment on their structure and evolution. We revisit the L_m_-{alpha} relation for BCGs, which uses {alpha}, the log-slope of the BCG photometric curve of growth, to predict the metric luminosity in an aperture with 14.3kpc radius, L_m_, for use as a distance indicator. We measure central stellar velocity dispersions, {sigma}, of the BCGs.
By cross-matching the currently largest optical catalogue of galaxy clusters and the NVSS radio survey data base, we obtain a large complete sample of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the redshift range of 0.05<z<=0.45, which have radio emission and redshift information. We confirm that more powerful radio BCGs tend to be these optically very bright galaxies located in more relaxed clusters. We derived the radio luminosity functions of the largest sample of radio BCGs, and find that the functions depend on the optical luminosity of BCGs and the dynamic state of galaxy clusters. However, the radio luminosity function does not show significant evolution with redshift.
We investigate the use of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) as standard candles for measuring galaxy peculiar velocities on large scales. We have obtained precise large-format CCD surface photometry and redshifts for an all-sky, volume-limited (z<=0.05) sample of 119 BCG. We reinvestigate the Hoessel (1980ApJ...241..493H) relationship between the metric luminosity, L_m_, within the central 10h^-1^kpc of the BCGs and the logarithmic slope of the surface brightness profile, {alpha}. The L_m_-{alpha} relationship reduces the cosmic scatter in L_m_ from 0.327mag to 0.244mag, yielding a typical distance accuracy of 17% per BCG. Residuals about the L_m_-{alpha} relationship are independent of BCG luminosity, BCG B-R_c_ color, BCG location within the host cluster, and richness of the host cluster. The metric luminosity is independent of cluster richness even before correcting for its dependence on {alpha}, which provides further evidence for the unique nature of the BCG luminosity function. Indeed, the BCG luminosity function, both before and after application of the {alpha}-correction, is consistent with a single Gaussian distribution. Half the BCGs in the sample show some evidence of small color gradients as a function of radius within their central 50h^-1^kpc regions but with almost equal numbers becoming redder as becoming bluer. However, with the central 10h^-1^kpc the colors are remarkably constant, the mean B-R_c_ color is 1.51 with a dispersion of only 0.06mag. The narrow photometric and color distributions of the BCGs, the lack of "second-parameter" effects, as well as the unique rich cluster environment of BCGs, argue that BCGs are the most homogeneous distance indicators presently available for large-scale structure research.
Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations. We present here the z~6-8 candidate high-redshift galaxies from the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS), a Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope survey of 41 massive galaxy clusters spanning an area of ~200arcmin^2^. These clusters were selected to be excellent lenses, and we find similar high-redshift sample sizes and magnitude distributions as the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). We discover 257, 57, and eight candidate galaxies at z~6, 7, and 8 respectively, (322 in total). The observed (lensed) magnitudes of the z~6 candidates are as bright as AB mag ~23, making them among the brightest known at these redshifts, comparable with discoveries from much wider, blank-field surveys. RELICS demonstrates the efficiency of using strong gravitational lenses to produce high-redshift samples in the epoch of reionization. These brightly observed galaxies are excellent targets for follow-up study with current and future observatories, including the James Webb Space Telescope.
Using data from five clusters of galaxies within the redshift range 0.15<=z<=0.25, imaged with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in the central ~1Mpc^2^ in very good seeing conditions, we have performed an exhaustive inspection of their bright galaxy population. That range of redshift, where only a small amount of data with the required resolution and quality is available, is particularly important for the understanding of the formation and evolution of clusters of galaxies. We have inspected the color-magnitude relation (CMR) for those clusters and measured the blue fraction of galaxies in their cores to check for evidence of evolution as found in other works. Visual classification of the galaxy morphology has been performed and the morphology-radius relation examined.
We present the Bright SHARC (Serendipitous High-Redshift Archival ROSAT Cluster) Survey, which is an objective search for serendipitously detected extended X-ray sources in 460 deep ROSAT PSPC pointings. The Bright SHARC Survey covers an area of 178.6 deg^2^ and has yielded 374 extended sources. We discuss the X-ray data reduction, the candidate selection and present results from our on-going optical follow-up campaign. The optical follow-up concentrates on the brightest 94 of the 374 extended sources and is now 97% complete. We have identified 37 clusters of galaxies, for which we present redshifts and luminosities. The clusters span a redshift range of 0.0696<z<0.83 and a luminosity range of 0.065<L_X_< 8.3x10^44^ergs/s [0.5-2.0keV] (assuming H_0_=50km/s/Mpc and q_0_=0.5). Twelve of the clusters have redshifts greater than z=0.3, eight of which are at luminosities brighter than L_X_=3x10^44^ergs/s. Seventeen of the 37 optically confirmed Bright SHARC clusters have not been listed in any previously published catalog. We also report the discovery of three candidate "fossil groups" of the kind proposed by Ponman et al. (1994Natur.369..462P)
We present results of a study of the galaxy population of Cl 0939+472 (z=0.41) and Cl 0016+161 (z=0.54). We have used narrow-band filters (FWHM=~90-200A) and broad band B, R, I filters covering the range from 3800A to 9200A obtain low resolution spectra for all galaxies brighter than R=22.5mag in a 5'x5' (Cl 0939+472) and a 3.5'x5' (Cl 0016+161) field. Template spectra for classical Hubble type and E+A galaxies were fitted to the low-resolution spectral energy distribution in order to determine the galaxies' redshift and the morphological type. We detected 160 cluster members in Cl 0939+472 and 100 in Cl 0016+161, with a success rate of about 80% in the determination of redshifts and corresponding classification of morphological types from spectral energy distributions. These results constitute a statistical improvement of at least a factor of 4 over the most complete study to date of these clusters. In particular, we provide a large sample of elliptical galaxies with secure membership, well suited for a study of evolutionary effects. The same E+A templates developed for the analysis of Cl 0939+472 were successful in recognizing almost all of the spectroscopically already known E+A galaxies in Cl 0016+161 and in identifying 10 new ones. Our results show that in this cluster, too, the fraction of E+A galaxies represents about 20% of the total galaxy population. This outlines the importance of taking into account galaxies with signs of recent star formation for a correct evaluation of the Butcher-Oemler effect in distant galaxy clusters.
