The Observed Growth of Massive Galaxy Clusters III: Testing General Relativity on Cosmological Scales

Abstract

This is the third of a series of papers in which we derive simultaneous constraints on cosmological parameters and X-ray scaling relations using observations of the growth of massive, X-ray flux-selected galaxy clusters. Our data set consists of 238 clusters drawn from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, and incorporates extensive follow-up observations using the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Here we present improved constraints on departures from General Relativity (GR) on cosmological scales, using the growth index, gamma, to parameterize the linear growth rate of cosmic structure. Using the method of Mantz et al. (2009a), we simultaneously and self-consistently model the growth of X-ray luminous clusters and their observable-mass scaling relations, accounting for survey biases, parameter degeneracies and systematic uncertainties. We combine the cluster growth data with gas mass fraction, SNIa, BAO and CMB data. This combination leads to a tight correlation between gamma and sigma_8. Consistency with GR requires gamma~0.55. Under the assumption of self-similar evolution and constant scatter in the scaling relations, and for a flat LCDM model, we measure gamma(sigma_8/0.8)^6.8=0.55+0.13-0.10, with 0.79<sigma_8<0.89. Relaxing the assumptions on the scaling relations by introducing two additional parameters to model possible evolution in the normalization and scatter of the luminosity-mass relation, we obtain consistent constraints on gamma that are only ~20% weaker than those above. Allowing the dark energy equation of state, w, to take any constant value, we simultaneously constrain the growth and expansion histories, and find no evidence for departures from either GR or LCDM. Our results represent the most robust consistency test of GR on cosmological scales to date. (Abridged)