arXiv subjects

A. Blanchard

Publications and source records attributed to A. Blanchard.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1998

New Territory: SZ Cluster Surveys

The potential of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect for cluster studies has long been appreciated, although not yet fully exploited. Recent technological advances and improvements in observing strategies have changed this, to the point where it is now possible to speak of this subject at a meeting devoted to {\em surveys} in Cosmology. We will discuss SZ surveys by distinguishing what may be called {\em pointed surveys}, dedicated to pre-selected clusters, from {\em blind surveys}, those searching for clusters in blank fields. Surveys of the former type already have significant numbers of clusters with very good signal-to-noise images; surveys of the second type are currently possible, but as yet not undertaken. The discussion will focus on the kind of science that can be done in this ``new territory''.

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arXiv1998

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) galaxy redshift survey IV. A discussion of systematic biases in galaxy redshift determinations

We present a detailed discussion of the redshift errors associated to the ESO Slice Project measurements. For a subsample of 742 galaxies with redshifts determined both from the absorption lines (V_{abs}) and from the emission lines (V_{emi}), we find an average difference ~ +100$ km/s. We find that a similar effect is present in another, deeper redshift survey, the Durham/Anglo-Australian Telescope faint galaxy redshift survey, while is absent in surveys at brighter magnitude limits. We have investigated in detail many possible sources of such a discrepancy, and we can exclude possible zero-point shifts or calibration problems. We have detected and measured systematic velocity differences produced by the different templates used in the cross-correlation. We conclude that such differences can in principle explain the effect, but in this case the non-trivial implication would be that the best-fitting template does not necessarily give the best velocity estimate. As we do not have any a priori reason to select a template different from the best-fitting one, we did not apply any correction to the ESO Slice Project velocities. However, as for a small number of galaxies the effect is so large that it is likely to have a physical explanation, we have also taken into account the possibility that the discrepancy can be partly real: in this case, it might help to understand the role of gas outflows in the process of galaxy evolution. In view of the future large spectroscopic surveys, we stress the importance of using different templates and making them publicly available, in order to assess the amplitude of systematic effects, and to allow a direct comparison of different catalogues.

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arXiv1998

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) galaxy redshift survey: III. The Sample

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) is a galaxy redshift survey extending over about 23 square degrees, in a region near the South Galactic Pole. The survey is ~85% complete to the limiting magnitude b_J=19.4 and consists of 3342 galaxies with redshift determination. The ESP survey is intermediate between shallow, wide angle samples and very deep, one-dimensional pencil beams; the spanned volume is ~ 5 x 10^4 Mpc^3 at the sensitivity peak (z ~ 0.1). In this paper we present the description of the observations and of the data reduction, the ESP redshift catalogue and the analysis of the quality of the velocity determinations.

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arXiv1998

Constraints on Cosmological Parameters from Existing CMB Data

We use current cosmic microwave background data to constrain cosmological parameters. The results are presented as confidence regions in the ($Ω$--$H_o$) -- plane for both open and flat geometries, and are based on a $χ^2$ minimization to the power spectrum. Although such an approach does not strictly apply to power spectrum estimates, the results should nonetheless be indicative. We find that purely open, low--$Ω$ models are strongly disfavored, due to the position of the ``Doppler Peak'' at high $l$; flat models are less strongly constrained. The parameter space explored is the largest to date, covering $Ω$, $H_o$, $n$, $Q$ and $Ω_B h^2$.

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arXiv1998

What Does Cluster Redshift Evolution Reveal ?

Evolution of the cluster population has been recognized as a powerful cosmological tool. While the present--day abundance of X-ray clusters is degenerate in $σ_8$, $n$ and $Ω_0$, Oukbir and Blanchard (1992, 1997) have pointed out that the number density evolution of X-ray clusters with redshift can be used to determine $Ω_0$. Here, we clarify the origin of this statement by identifying those parameters to which the evolution of cluster number density is most sensitive. We find that the evolution is controlled by only two parameters: the amplitude of fluctuations, $σ_M$, on the scale associated with the mass under consideration, $R = 9.5h^{1/3} Ω_0^{-1/3}$ $ M_{15}^{1/3} h^{-1}$Mpc, and the cosmological background density, $Ω_0$. In contrast, evolution is remarkably insensitive to the slope of the power spectrum. We verify that the number density evolution of clusters is a powerful probe of the mean density of the universe, under the condition that $σ_M$ is chosen to reproduce current-day abundances. Comparison of the cluster abundance at $z \sim 0.5-0.6$, from the EMSS, to the present-day abundance, from the ROSAT BCS sample, unambiguously reveals the existence of significant negative evolution. This number evolution, in conjunction with the absence of any negative evolution in the luminosity-temperature relation, provides robust evidence in favor of a critical density universe ($Ω_0=1$), in agreement with the analysis by Sadat et al. (1998).

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arXiv1998

The ESO Slice Project [ESP] galaxy redshift survey: V. Evidence for a D=3 sample dimensionality

The issue of the approximate isotropy and homogeneity of the observable universe is one of the major topics in modern Cosmology: the common use of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker [FWR] metric relies on these assumptions. Therefore, results conflicting with the ``canonical'' picture would be of the utmost importance. In a number of recent papers it has been suggested that strong evidence of a fractal distribution with dimension D~2 exists in several samples, including Abell clusters [ACO] and galaxies from the ESO Slice Project redshift survey [ESP].Here we report the results of an independent analysis of the radial density run,N(<R)~R^D, of the ESP and ACO data. For the ESP data the situation is such that the explored volume, albeit reasonably deep, is still influenced by the presence of large structures. Moreover, the depth of the ESP survey (z<0.2) is such to cause noticeable effects according to different choices of k-corrections, and this adds some additional uncertainty in the results. However, we find that for a variety of volume limited samples the dimensionality of the ESP sample is D~3, and the value $D = 2$ is always excluded at the level of at least five (bootstrap) standard deviations. The only way in which we reproduce D~2 is by both unphysically ignoring the galaxy k-correction and using Euclidean rather than FRW cosmological distances. In the cluster case the problems related to the choice of metrics and k-correction are much lessened, and we find that ACO clusters have D_{ACO} = 3.07 +- 0.18 and D_{ACO} = 2.93 +- 0.15 for richness class R \geq 1 and R \geq 0, respectively. Therefore D=2 is excluded with high significance also for the cluster data.

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arXiv1998

A Tale of Two SZ Sources

The recent discovery of two flux decrements in deep radio maps obtained by the VLA and the Ryle Telescope can have powerful implications for the density parameter of the Universe, $\Omo$. We outline these implications by modeling the decrements as the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect from two clusters assuming their properties are similar to those of the low redshift population. In this case, the absence of any optical or X-ray counterparts argues that the clusters must be at large redshifts. We highlight the difficulty this poses for a critical cosmology by a comparison with a fiducial open model with $\Omo=0.2$ ($\lamo=0$). Applying the phenomenological X-ray luminosity-temperature relation needed to explain the EMSS cluster redshift distribution, as inferred by Oukbir and Blanchard (1997), we convert the X-ray band upper limits to lower limits on the clusters' redshifts. Comparison of the counts implied by these two SZ detections with model predictions, for clusters with redshifts larger than these lower limits, illustrates quantitatively the inability of the critical cosmology to account for such high-redshift clusters. On the other hand, the open model with $\Omo=0.2$ remains consistent with the existence of the two objects; it possibly has, however, difficulties with current limits on spectral distortions and temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background. The discussion demonstrates the value of SZ cluster searches for testing cosmological models and theories of structure formation.

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arXiv1998

Cosmic Star Formation and Type Ia/II Supernova Rates at high z

We study how Type Ia/II supernova rates at various redshifts can be used to constrain the cosmic star formation rate (CSFR) history. We use a spectrophotometric model of galaxy evolution which provides a self-consistent description of global properties of local galaxies. We have chosen two CSFR histories, with and without dust extinction, both normalized in order to reproduce the observed comoving luminosity densities at different wavelengths. We show that as expected, the SNII rates provide a direct measurement of the instantaneous CSFR, whereas the SNIa rate depends on the CSFR history during the past few Gyrs. Therefore the SNIa rate detected up to $z {\sim}$ 1 is able to provide new insight on the CSFR at higher redshift. The comparison with the data are in good agreement with both local and high-$z$ measurement and provides an additional evidence of the validity of the CSFR up to $z$ = 1, but suggests values at $z >$ 1 higher than those of Madau et al. (1996) and consistent with the presence of extinction. We also show that Type Ia supernova observations at $z{\sim}$ 1 can already put constraints on the still puzzling nature of Type Ia progenitors.

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arXiv1997

Constraining ${Ω_{0}}$ from X-ray properties of Clusters of Galaxies at high redshift

Properties of high redshift clusters are a fundamental source of information for cosmology. It has been shown by Oukbir and Blanchard (1997) that the combined knowledge of the redshift distribution of X-ray clusters of galaxies and the luminosity-temperature correlation, $L_X-T_X$, provides a powerful test of the mean density of the Universe. In this paper, we address the question of the possible evolution of this relation from an observational point of view and its cosmological significance. We introduce a new indicator in order to measure the evolution of the X-ray luminosity-temperature relation with redshift and take advantage of the recent availability of temperature information for a significant number of high and intermediate redshift X-ray clusters of galaxies. From our analysis, we find a slightly positive evolution in the $L_X-T_X$ relation. This implies a high value of the density parameter of $0.85\pm0.2 $. However, because the selection of clusters included inour sample is unknown, this can be considered only as a tentative result. A well-controlled X-ray selected survey would provide a more robust answer. XMM will be ideal for such a program.

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arXiv1997

Holes in the Microwave Sky

We discuss the implications of two possible, recent Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) detections for which no optical or X--ray counterparts have been found. This suggests that the objects reside at high redshift, which is difficult to reconcile with a critical cosmology. We develop this argument and find that an open model with $\Omo=0.2$ remains consistent with what we currently know about the two objects. The reasoning also demonstrates the utility of SZ cluster searches.

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arXiv1997

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) galaxy redshift survey: II. The luminosity function and mean galaxy density

(Abridged) The ESO Slice Project (ESP) is a galaxy redshift survey we have completed as an ESO Key-Project over ~23 square degrees, in a region near the South Galactic Pole. The survey is nearly complete to the limiting magnitude b_J=19.4 and consists of 3342 galaxies with reliable redshift determination. The ESP survey is intermediate between shallow, wide angle samples and very deep, one-dimensional pencil beams: spanning a volume of ~ 5 x 10^4 Mpc^3 at the sensitivity peak (z ~ 0.1), it provides an accurate determination of the "local" luminosity function and the mean galaxy density. We find that, although a Schechter function is an acceptable representation of the luminosity function over the entire range of magnitudes (M < -12.4), our data suggest the presence of a steepening of the luminosity function for M > -17. The amplitude and the alpha and M^* parameters of our luminosity function are in good agreement with those of the AUTOFIB redshift survey (Ellis et al. 1996). Viceversa, our amplitude is significantly higher, by a factor ~ 1.6 at M ~ M^*, than that found for both the Stromlo-APM (Loveday et al. 1992) and the Las Campanas (Lin et al. 1996) redshift surveys. Also the faint end slope of our luminosity function is significantly steeper than that found in these two surveys. Large over- and under- densities are clearly seen in our data. In particular, we find evidence for a "local" underdensity (for D < 140 Mpc) and a significant overdensity at z ~ 0.1. When these radial density variations are taken into account, our derived luminosity function reproduces very well the observed counts for b_J < 19.4, including the steeper than Euclidean slope for b_J < 17.

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arXiv1997

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) galaxy redshift survey: I. Description and First Results

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) is a galaxy redshift survey we have recently completed as an ESO Key-Project. The ESP covers 23.3 square degrees in a region close to the South Galactic Pole. The survey is nearly complete (85%) to the limiting magnitude b_J=19.4 and consists of 3342 galaxies with reliable redshift determination. In this paper, the first in a series that will present the results of the ESP survey, we describe the main characteristics of the survey and briefly discuss the properties of the galaxy sample. From a preliminary spectral analysis of a large sub-sample of 2550 galaxies we find that the fraction of actively star-forming galaxies increases from a few percent for the brightest galaxies up to about 40% for the galaxies fainter than M= -16.5. The most outstanding feature in the ESP redshift distribution is a very significant peak at z ~ 0.1. The detection of similar peaks, at the same distance, in other surveys in the same region of the sky, suggests the presence of a large bidimensional structure perpendicular to the line of sight. The minimum size of this structure would be of the order of 100 x 50 Mpc, comparable with the size of the Great Wall.

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arXiv1996

X--ray clusters: towards a new determination of the density parameter of the universe

We use a self-consistent modeling of x-ray cluster properties to constrain cosmological scenarios of structure formation in the case of open cosmological models. We first show that an unbiased open model can reproduce present day observations, provided that the density parameter is in the range 0.15-0.4. Although this estimate is derived in a rather different way, it is very close to dynamical measurements. We also obtain constraints on the shape of the initial fluctuation power spectrum: we find that the local spectral index n falls in the range -1.1 < n < -1.6 on scales between 10 and 30h^{-1}Mpc. We focus on differences between open models and the Einstein--de Sitter model, and we exhibit a test which depends only on the cosmological parameter and is insensitive to the shape of the initial fluctuations power spectrum: we show that, contrary to what is generally admitted, the redshift distribution of X-ray clusters selected on the basis of their apparent temperature is almost independent of the power spectrum and that it is only sensitive to the value of density of the universe. Since the relation between the virial mass and the X-ray temperature seems rather robust, we expect very little theoretical uncertainty in the modeling. This allows us to show that the combined knowledge of the redshift distribution of X-ray flux selected clusters and that of the luminosity-temperature correlation at high redshifts offers a new and efficient way to measure the mean density of the universe. This appears to be a clean test not suffering of the problems attached to local density estimators. We have tentatively applied our test to the redshift distribution of clusters detected within the Einstein medium sensitivity X-ray survey.

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arXiv1996

X-Ray galaxy clusters: constraints on models of galaxy formation

We present a self-consistent approach to the modeling of X-ray clusters of galaxies in a flat universe. Employing the Press and Schechter (1974) formalism to derive the mass function and relating the observable properties of clusters to their virial mass allows us to study the cluster X-ray distribution functions and their evolution with redshift. This approach differs from some results based on the X-ray luminosity function, which we argue is subject to modeling uncertainties. We obtain stringent constraints on the power spectrum of the initial density perturbations assumed to seed galaxy formation by comparing the theoretical temperature function with available data: the amplitude $σ_8$ is found to be $0.57 \pm 0.05$, while the local spectral index $n$ is falling in the range $-2.4 \leq n \leq -1.5$ on scales between 5 and 15 $h^{-1}$ Mpc: the standard CDM model is clearly ruled out, independently of the normalization. We further examine the evolutionary properties of X-ray clusters. Our approach greatly clarifies the situation: contrary to some previous claims, we find that flat models are in reasonable agreement with the observed number of clusters at high redshif ts. We also examine the contribution of clusters to the X-ray counts and to the soft X-ray background and compare the expected values in the case of the $Ω_0=1$ and $Ω_0=0.2$ universes. The number counts are in agreement with the observations, further confirming the relevance of our modeling. We conclude that although clusters are not the primary source of the soft X-ray background, their contribution is nevertheless non-negligible. This is particularly important for they could escape the constraints imposed on possible point sources contributing to the background. Finally, we briefly

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arXiv1995

The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect and the Value of Omega

We consider the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect as a probe of Omega_o: Using a self-consistent modeling of X-ray clusters, we examine the dependence of both the mean Compton y parameter and the SZ source counts on Omega_o. These quantities increase with decreasing Omega_o due to the earlier epoch of structure formation in low-density cosmogonies; the results depend only on the quantity of gas heated to the virial temperature of collapsed objects and are independent of the spatial distribution of the gas in the potential wells. Specifically, we compare two models which reproduce the present-day abundance of clusters - a biased, critical universe and an unbiased, open model with Omega_o=0.3. We find that the mean y parameter approaches the current FIRAS limit of y<2.5 10^{-5} for the open model, demonstrating the importance of improving this limit on spectral distortions, and that the SZ source counts and corresponding redshift distribution differ significantly between the two cosmogonies; millimeter surveys covering a large area should thus provide interesting constraints on the density parameter of the Universe and on the evolution of the heated gas fraction in virialized objects.

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arXiv1995

On the Uncertainty in X-Ray Cluster Mass Estimates

We study the uncertainty in galaxy cluster mass estimates derived from X-ray data assuming hydrostatic equilibrium (HE) for the intra cluster gas. Using a Monte-Carlo procedure we generate a general class of mass models allowing very massive clusters. We then compute the corresponding temperature profiles via the HE equation and compare them to observational data on some clusters. We find several massive clusters that pass the observational constraints, with integrated masses varying in a quite wide range. The resulting accuracy of the mass estimates is rather poor, larger than what is generally claimed. We argue that the tight constraints on cluster masses previously obtained come from the fact that a too restricted class of mass density profiles has been investigated so far. Applying our procedure to Perseus then Coma, we find that the improvement of the observational constraints results in a quite modest improvement in the accuracy of the mass estimate. For Coma, using the best current available data, we end up with a factor of two of uncertainty in the mass within the Abell radius. This uncertainty rapidly increases at further radius.

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arXiv1995

The Physical State of the Intergalactic Medium or Can We Measure Y?

We present an argument for a {\it lower limit} to the Compton-$y$ parameter describing spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The absence of a detectable Gunn-Peterson signal in the spectra of high redshift quasars demands a high ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Given an ionizing flux at the lower end of the range indicated by the proximity effect, an IGM representing a significant fraction of the nucleosynthesis-predicted baryon density must be heated by sources other than the photon flux to a temperature $\go {\rm few} \times 10^5\, K$. Such a gas at the redshift of the highest observed quasars, $z\sim 5$, will produce a $y\go 10^{-6}$. This lower limit on $y$ rises if the Universe is open, if there is a cosmological constant, or if one adopts an IGM with a density larger than the prediction of standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

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arXiv1995

TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION OF X-RAY CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES IN A NEUTRINO DOMINATED UNIVERSE

The temperature distribution function (TDF) of X-ray clusters is derived for different normalizations of the HDM power spectrum in an Omega_0=1 universe using the statistics of peaks of a random Gaussian field. Concerning cluster formation only, the neutrino picture appears to be marginally consistent with observations for H_0=70 km/s/Mpc provided the normalization is alpha=sigma_0/delta_s=0.42 with sigma_0 the rms variance of the fluctuations linearly evolved to the present epoch and delta_s the collapse threshold required in structure formation models. However, using the constraint that the formation epoch of QSO's puts on the HDM model, it appears that this normalization is too small to be consistent with quasars formation. Allowing higher values for the Hubble constant alleviates this problem but leads to an unacceptable short age of the universe. Moreover, the constraint put by the recent measurement of the level of fluctuations in the cosmic background radiation by COBE tends to reject models with high values of H_0. We conclude that the neutrino model fails in any case to account for the whole set of available observations in a consistent way.

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