arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B. P. Holden.
We have performed simulations of the effectiveness of the Serendipitous High-redshift Archival ROSAT Cluster (SHARC) survey for various model universes. We find, in agreement with work based on a preliminary set of simulations no statistically significant evolution of the luminosity function out to z = 0.8.
We have conducted a redshift survey of sixteen cluster candidates from the Palomar Distant Cluster Survey (PDCS) to determine both the density of PDCS clusters and the accuracy of the estimated redshifts presented in the PDCS catalog (Postman et. al. 1996). We find that the matched-filter redshift estimate presented in the PDCS has an error sigma_z = 0.06 in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.35 based on eight cluster candidates with three or more concordant galaxy redshifts. We measure the low redshift (0.1 < z < 0.35) space density of PDCS clusters to be 31.3^{+30.5}_{-17.1} * E-06 h^3 Mpc^-3 (68% confidence limits for a Poisson distribution) for Richness Class 1 systems. We find a tentative space density of 10.4^{+23.4}_{-8.4}* E-06 h^3 Mpc^-3 for Richness Class 2 clusters. These densities compare favorably with those found for the whole of the PDCS and support the finding that the space density of clusters in the PDCS is a factor of ~5 above that of clusters in the Abell catalog (Abell 1958; Abell, Corwin, and Olowin 1989). These new space density measurements were derived as independently as possible from the original PDCS analysis and therefore, demonstrate the robustness of the original work. Based on our survey, we conclude that the PDCS matched-filter algorithm is successful in detecting real clusters and in estimating their true redshifts in the redshift range we surveyed.
We present here initial results on the X-ray Cluster Luminosity Function (XCLF) from the Bright SHARC sample of distant X-ray clusters of galaxies. This sample is 97% complete in its optical identifications and contains 12 X-ray luminous clusters in the range 0.3 < z < 0.83 (median z = 0.42) and 1.1 < Lx(44) < 8.5 erg/s [0.5-2.0 keV]. We present a preliminary selection function for the Bright SHARC based on Monte Carlo simulations. Using this selection function, we have computed the Bright SHARC XCLF and find it to be fully consistent with a non-evolving XCLF to Lx(44) = 5 erg/s and z = 0.7. At Lx(44) > 5 erg/s, we find evidence for a deficit of clusters compared to that expected from a non-evolving XCLF. We detect only one such cluster in the redshift range 0.3 < z < 0.7 when we would expect 4.9 clusters based on the local XCLF of De Grandi et al. (1999). The statistical significance of this deficit is 96%. To increase the statistical significance of this possible deficit, we have combined the Bright SHARC and the 160 sq. deg. survey of Vikhlinin et al (1998a). This joint survey covers 260 sq. degs. and contains only one confirmed 0.3 < z < 0.7, Lx(44) > 5 erg/s cluster, while we would expect 7.6 such clusters based on the local XCLF (De Grandi et al. 1999). The statistical significance of the deficit in this joint survey increases to 99.5%. These results remain preliminary because of incompletenesses in the optical follow-up and uncertainties in the local XCLF.
From the Press-Schechter mass function and the empirical X-ray cluster luminosity-temperature (L-T) relation, we construct an X-ray cluster luminosity function that can be applied to the growing number of high-redshift, X-ray cluster luminosity catalogs to constrain cosmological parameters. In this paper, we apply this luminosity function to the Einstein Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS) and the ROSAT Brightest Cluster Sample (BCS) luminosity function to constrain the value of Omega_m. In the case of the EMSS, we find a factor of 4 - 5 fewer X-ray clusters at redshifts above z = 0.4 than below this redshift at luminosities above L_X = 7 x 10^44 erg s^-1 (0.3 - 3.5 keV), which suggests that the X-ray cluster luminosity function has evolved above L_*. At lower luminosities, this luminosity function evolves only minimally, if at all. Using Bayesian inference, we find that the degree of evolution at high luminosities suggests that Omega_m = 0.96(+0.36,-0.32), given the best-fit L-T relation of Reichart, Castander, & Nichol (1998). When we account for the uncertainty in how the empirical L-T relation evolves with redshift, we find that Omega_m is approximately 1.0 +/- 0.4. However, it is unclear to what degree systematic effects may affect this and similarly obtained results.
We present the z = 0.3 - 0.7 cluster X-ray luminosity function (XLF) determined from the Southern SHARC (Serendipitous High-redshift Archival ROSAT Cluster) survey. Over the luminosity range L ~ (0.3 - 3) x 10^44 erg/s (0.5 - 2.0 keV) the XLF is in close agreement with that of the low redshift X-ray cluster population. This result greatly strengthens our previous claim of no evolution of the cluster population, at these luminosities, at a median redshift of z =0.44.
We have measured fluxes or flux limits for 31 of the 79 cluster candidates in the Palomar Distant Cluster Survey (PDCS) using archival ROSAT/PSPC pointed observations. Our X-ray survey reaches a flux limit of $\simeq 3 \times 10^{-14}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ (0.4 - 2.0 keV), which corresponds to luminosities of $L_x\simeq 5 \times 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$ ($H_o$ = 50 km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, $q_o$ = ${1/2}$), if we assume the PDCS estimated redshifts. Of the 31 cluster candidates, we detect six at a signal-to-noise greater than three. We estimate that $2.9^{+3.3}_{-1.4}$ (90% confidence limits) of these six detections are a result of X-ray emission from objects unrelated to the PDCS cluster candidates. The net surface density of X-ray emitting cluster candidates in our survey, $1.71^{+0.91}_{-2.19}$ clusters deg$^{-2}$, agrees with that of other, X-ray selected, surveys. It is possible, given the large error on our contamination rate, that we have not detected X-ray emission from any of our observed PDCS cluster candidates. We find no statistically significant difference between the X-ray luminosities of PDCS cluster candidates and those of Abell clusters of similar optical richness. This suggests that the PDCS contains objects at high redshift similar to the low redshift clusters in the Abell catalogs. We show that the PDCS cluster candidates are not bright X-ray sources, the average luminosity of the six detected candidates is only $\bar{L_x}=0.9\times10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (0.4-2.0 keV). This finding is in agreement with previous X-ray studies of high redshift, optically selected, rich clusters of galaxies.
(Shortened Abstract) We present new X-ray data taken from the ROSAT PSPC pointing archive for 21 clusters in the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS). We have supplemented these data with new optical follow-up observations found in the literature and overall, 32 of the original 67 z>0.14 EMSS clusters now have new information. Using this improved EMSS sample, we have re-determined the EMSS X-ray Cluster Luminosity Function as a function of redshift. We have removed potential mis-classifications and included our new measurements of the clusters X-ray luminosities and redshifts. We find similar luminosity functions to those originally presented by Henry etal (1992); albeit with two important differences. First, we show that the original low redshift EMSS luminosity function is insufficiently constrained. Secondly, the power law shape of our new determination of the high redshift EMSS luminosity function (z=0.3 to 0.6) has a shallower slope than that seen by Henry etal. We have quantified the degree of evolution seen in the X-ray cluster luminosity using several statistical tests. The most restrictive analysis indicates that our low and high redshift EMSS luminosity functions are statistically different at only the 95% level. However, other tests indicate that these luminosity functions differ by as little as one sigma. These data are therefore, consistent with no evolution in the X-ray cluster luminosity function out to z=0.5.