Aims. We examine the X-ray, optical, and radio properties of the member clusters of a new supercluster discovered during the SRG/eROSITA Performance Verification phase. Methods. We analyzed the 140 deg 2 eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth Survey (eFEDS) field observed during the Performance Verification phase to a nominal depth of about 2.3 ks. In this field, we detect a previously unknown supercluster consisting of a chain of eight galaxy clusters at z ~ 0.36. The redshifts of these members were determined through Hyper Suprime-Cam photometric measurements. We examined the X-ray morphological and dynamical properties, gas, and total mass out to R 500 of the members and compare these with the same properties of the general population of clusters detected in the eFEDS field. We further investigated the gas in the bridge region between the cluster members for a potential WHIM detection. We also used radio follow-up observations with LOFAR and uGMRT to search for diffuse emission and constrain the dynamic state of the system. Results. We do not find significant differences between the morphological parameters and properties of the intra-cluster medium of the clusters embedded in this large-scale filament and those of the eFEDS clusters. We also provide upper limits on the electron number density and mass of the warm-hot intergalactic medium as provided by the eROSITA data. These limits are consistent with previously reported values for the detections in the vicinity of clusters of galaxies. In LOFAR and uGMRT follow-up observations of the northern part of this supercluster, we find two new radio relics and a radio halo that are the result of major merger activity in the system. Conclusions. These early results show the potential of eROSITA to probe large-scale structures such as superclusters and the properties of their members. Our forecasts show that we will be able to detect about 450 superclusters, with approximately 3000 member clusters located in the eROSITA_DE region at the final eROSITA all-sky survey depth, enabling statistical studies of the properties of superclusters and their constituents embedded in the cosmic web.
We present first results from a galaxy population study in the highest redshift galaxy clusters identified in the 2500 deg$^2$ South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect (SPT-SZ) survey. The cluster selection is to first order independent of galaxy properties, making the SPT-SZ sample particularly well suited for cluster galaxy population studies. We carry out a 4-band imaging campaign with the {\it Hubble} and {\it Spitzer} Space Telescopes of the five $z\gtrsim 1.4$, S/N$_{SZE}>$5 clusters, that are among the rarest most massive clusters known at this redshift. All five show clear overdensities of red galaxies whose colors agree with the initial cluster redshift estimates. The highest redshift cluster in this sample, SPT-CLJ0459-4947 at $z\sim1.72$, is the most distant $M_{500}>10^{14}~M_{\odot}$ ICM-selected cluster discovered thus far, and is one of only three known clusters in this mass range at $z\gtrsim 1.7$, regardless of selection. Based on UVJ-like photometric classification of quiescent and star-forming galaxies, the passive fraction in the cluster central regions ($r/r_{500} 10.85$. We have explored the impact of emission from star formation on the selection of this sample, concluding that all five clusters studied here would still have been detected with S/N$_{SZE}>$5, even if they had the same passive fraction as measured in the field. Our results thus point towards an efficient suppression of star formation in massive galaxies in the central regions of the most massive clusters, occurring already earlier than $z\sim1.5$. [Abridged]
We present the first cosmological study of a sample of $eROSITA$ clusters, which were identified in the $eROSITA$ Final Equatorial Depth Survey (eFEDS). In a joint selection on X-ray and optical observables, the sample contains $455$ clusters within a redshift range of $0.1
We present the first results from a galaxy population study in the highest redshift galaxy clusters identified in the 2500 deg2 South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel’dovich effect (SPT-SZ) survey, which is sensitive to M 500 ≳ 3 × 1014 M ⊙ clusters from z ∼ 0.2 out to the highest redshifts where such massive structures exist. The cluster selection is to first order independent of galaxy properties, making the SPT-SZ sample particularly well suited for cluster galaxy population studies. We carried out a four-band imaging campaign with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes of the five z ≳ 1.4, S /N SZE > 5 clusters, that are among the rarest most massive clusters known at this redshift. All five clusters show clear overdensities of red galaxies whose colors agree with the initial cluster redshift estimates, although one (SPT-CLJ0607–4448) shows a galaxy concentration much less prominent than the others. The highest redshift cluster in this sample, SPT-CLJ0459–4947 at z ∼ 1.72, is the most distant M 500 > 1014 M ⊙ cluster discovered thus far through its intracluster medium, and is one of only three known clusters in this mass range at z ≳ 1.7, regardless of selection. Based on U V J -like photometric classification of quiescent and star-forming galaxies, we find that the quiescent fraction in the cluster central regions (r /r 500 /M ⊙ ) > 10.85. We have explored the impact of emission from star formation on the selection of this sample, concluding that all five clusters studied here would still have been detected with S /N SZE > 5, even if they had the same quiescent fraction as measured in the field. Our results thus point towards an efficient suppression of star formation in the central regions of the most massive clusters, occurring already earlier than z ∼ 1.5.
We used dedicated SRG/eROSITA X-ray, ASKAP/EMU radio, and DECam optical observations of a 15 sq.deg region around the interacting galaxy cluster system A3391/95 to study the warm-hot gas in cluster outskirts and filaments, the surrounding large-scale structure and its formation process. We relate the observations to expectations from cosmological hydrodynamic simulations from the Magneticum suite. We trace the irregular morphology of warm-hot gas of the main clusters from their centers out to well beyond their characteristic radii, $r_{200}$. Between the two main cluster systems, we observe an emission bridge; thanks to eROSITA's unique soft response and large field of view, we discover tantalizing hints for warm gas. Several matter clumps physically surrounding the system are detected. For the "Northern Clump," we provide evidence that it is falling towards A3391 from the hot gas morphology and radio lobe structure of its central AGN. Many of the extended sources in the field detected by eROSITA are known clusters or new clusters in the background, including a known SZ cluster at redshift z=1. We discover an emission filament north of the virial radius, $r_{100}$, of A3391 connecting to the Northern Clump and extending south of A3395 towards another galaxy cluster. The total projected length of this continuous warm-hot emission filament is 15 Mpc, running almost 4 degrees across the entire eROSITA observation. The DECam galaxy density map shows galaxy overdensities in the same regions. The new datasets provide impressive confirmation of the theoretically expected structure formation processes on the individual system level, including the surrounding warm-hot intergalactic medium distribution compared to the Magneticum simulation. Our spatially resolved findings show that baryons indeed reside in large-scale warm-hot gas filaments with a clumpy structure.
We present the splashback radius measurements around the SRG/eROSITA eFEDS X-ray selected galaxy clusters by cross-correlating them with HSC S19A photometric galaxies. The X-ray selection is expected to be less affected by systematics related to projection that affects optical cluster finder algorithms. We use a nearly volume-limited sample of 109 galaxy clusters selected in 0.5-2.0 keV band having luminosity $L_X > 10^{43.5}\,{\rm erg s^{-1} h^{-2}}$ within the redshift $z<0.75$ and obtain measurements of the projected cross-correlation with a signal-to-noise of $17.43$. We model our measurements to infer a three-dimensional profile and find that the steepest slope is sharper than $-3$ and associate the location with the splashback radius. We infer the value of the 3D splashback radius $r_{\rm sp} = 1.45^{+0.30}_{-0.26}\,{\rm h^{-1} Mpc}$. We also measure the weak lensing signal of the galaxy clusters and obtain halo mass $\log[M_{\rm 200m}/{\rm h^{-1}M_\odot}] = 14.52 \pm 0.06$ using the HSC-S16A shape catalogue data at the median redshift $z=0.46$ of our cluster sample. We compare our $r_{\rm sp}$ values with the spherical overdensity boundary $r_{\rm 200m} = 1.75 \pm 0.08\,{\rm h^{-1} Mpc}$ based on the halo mass which is consistent within $1.2σ$ with the $Λ$CDM predictions. Our constraints on the splashback radius, although broad, are the best measurements thus far obtained for an X-ray selected galaxy cluster sample.
We present cosmological constraints from the abundance of galaxy clusters selected via the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in South Pole Telescope (SPT) data with a simultaneous mass calibration using weak gravitational lensing data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The cluster sample is constructed from the combined SPT-SZ, SPTpol ECS, and SPTpol 500d surveys, and comprises 1,005 confirmed clusters in the redshift range $0.25-1.78$ over a total sky area of 5,200 deg$^2$. We use DES Year 3 weak-lensing data for 688 clusters with redshifts $z<0.95$ and HST weak-lensing data for 39 clusters with $0.6
We construct and validate the selection function of the MARD-Y3 sample. This sample was selected through optical follow-up of the 2nd ROSAT faint source catalog (2RXS) with Dark Energy Survey year 3 (DES-Y3) data. The selection function is modeled by combining an empirically constructed X-ray selection function with an incompleteness model for the optical follow-up. We validate the joint selection function by testing the consistency of the constraints on the X-ray flux--mass and richness--mass scaling relation parameters derived from different sources of mass information: (1) cross-calibration using SPT-SZ clusters, (2) calibration using number counts in X-ray, in optical and in both X-ray and optical while marginalizing over cosmological parameters, and (3) other published analyses. We find that the constraints on the scaling relation from the number counts and SPT-SZ cross-calibration agree, indicating that our modeling of the selection function is adequate. Furthermore, we apply a largely cosmology independent method to validate selection functions via the computation of the probability of finding each cluster in the SPT-SZ sample in the MARD-Y3 sample and vice-versa. This test reveals no clear evidence for MARD-Y3 contamination, SPT-SZ incompleteness or outlier fraction. Finally, we discuss the prospects of the techniques presented here to limit systematic selection effects in future cluster cosmological studies.
This Snowmass 2021 White Paper describes the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 project CMB-S4, which is designed to cross critical thresholds in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Universe, from the highest energies at the dawn of time through the growth of structure to the present day. We provide an overview of the science case, the technical design, and project plan.
