Weak-lensing measurements of 42 SDSS/RASS galaxy clusters

Erin Scott Sheldon, James Annis, Hans Böhringer, Philippe Fischer, Joshua A. Frieman, Michael Joffre, David Johnston, Timothy A. Mckay, Christopher Miller, R. C. Nichol, Albert Stebbins, Wolfgang Voges, Scott F. Anderson, Neta A. Bahcall, J. Brinkmann, Robert Brunner, István Csabai, Masataka Fukugita, G. S. Hennessy, Željko IvezićRobert H. Lupton, Jeffrey A. Munn, Jeffrey R. Pier, Donald G. York

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a lensing study of 42 galaxy clusters imaged in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) commissioning data. Cluster candidates are selected optically from SDSS imaging data and confirmed for this study by matching to X-ray sources found independently in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS). Five-color SDSS photometry is used to make accurate (Δz = 0.018) photometric redshift estimates that are used to rescale and combine the lensing measurements. The mean shear from these clusters is detected to 2 h-1 Mpc at the 7 σ level, corresponding to a mass within that radius of (4.2 ± 0.6) × 1014 h-1 M. The shear profile is well fitted by a power law with index -0.9 ± 0.3, consistent with that of an isothermal density profile. Clusters are divided by X-ray luminosity into two subsets, with mean Lx of (0.14 ± 0.03) × 1044 and (1.0 ± 0.09) × 1044 h-2 ergs s-1. The average lensing signal is converted to a projected mass density based on fits to isothermal density profiles. From this we calculate a mean r500 (the radius at which the mean density falls to 500 times the critical density) and M(<r500). The mass contained within r500 differs substantially between the low- and high-Lx bins, with (0.7 ± 0.2) × 1014 and 2.7+0.9-1.1 × 1014h-1 M, respectively. This paper demonstrates our ability to measure ensemble cluster masses from SDSS imaging data. The full SDSS data set will include ≳1000 SDSS/RASS clusters. With this large data set we will measure the M-LX relation with high precision and put direct constraints on the mass density of the universe.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)881-887
Number of pages7
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume554
Issue number2 PART 1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 20 2001

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

  • Dark matter
  • Galaxies: clusters: general
  • Gravitational lensing
  • Large-scale structure of universe
  • X-rays: general

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Weak-lensing measurements of 42 SDSS/RASS galaxy clusters'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this