Christophe Benoist

GaBoDS: The Garching-Bonn Deep Survey IV. Methods for the Image reduction of multi-chip Cameras ⋆

We present our image processing system for the reduction of optical imaging data from multi-chip cameras. In the framework of the Garching Bonn Deep Survey (GaBoDS; Schirmer et al. 2003) consisting of about 20 square degrees of high-quality data from WFI@MPG/ESO 2.2m, our group developed an imaging pipeline for the homogeneous and efficient processing of thislarge data set. Having weak gravitational lensing as the main science driver, our algorithms are optimised to produce deep co-added mosaics from individual exposures obtained from empty field observations. However, the modular design of our pipeline allows an easy adaption to different scientific applications. Our system has already been ported to a large variety of optical instruments and its products have been used in various scientific contexts. In this paper we give a thorough description of the algorithms used and a careful evaluation of the accuracies reached. This concerns the removal of the instrumental signature, the astrometric alignment, photometric calibration and the characterisation of final co-added mosaics. In addition we give a more general overview on the image reduction process and comment on observing strategies where they have significant influence on the data quality.

The XXL Survey I. Scientific motivations - XMM-Newton observing plan - Follow-up observations and simulation programme

Context. The quest for the cosmological parameters that describe our universe continues to motivate the scientific community to undertake very large survey initiatives across the electromagnetic spectrum. Over the past two decades, the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories have supported numerous studies of X-ray-selected clusters of galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the X-ray background. The present paper is the first in a series reporting results of the XXL-XMM survey; it comes at a time when the Planck mission results are being finalised. Aims. We present the XXL Survey, the largest XMM programme totaling some 6.9 Ms to date and involving an international consortium of roughly 100 members. The XXL Survey covers two extragalactic areas of 25 deg(2) each at a point-source sensitivity of similar to 5 x 10(-15) erg s(-1) cm(-2) in the [0.5-2] keV band (completeness limit). The surveys main goals are to provide constraints on the dark energy equation of state from the space-time distribution of clusters of galaxies and to serve as a pathfinder for future, wide-area X-ray missions. We review science objectives, including cluster studies, AGN evolution, and large-scale structure, that are being conducted with the support of approximately 30 follow-up programmes. Methods. We describe the 542 XMM observations along with the associated multi-lambda and numerical simulation programmes. We give a detailed account of the X-ray processing steps and describe innovative tools being developed for the cosmological analysis. Results. The paper provides a thorough evaluation of the X-ray data, including quality controls, photon statistics, exposure and background maps, and sky coverage. Source catalogue construction and multi-lambda associations are briefly described. This material will be the basis for the calculation of the cluster and AGN selection functions, critical elements of the cosmological and science analyses. Conclusions. The XXL multi-lambda data set will have a unique lasting legacy value for cosmological and extragalactic studies and will serve as a calibration resource for future dark energy studies with clusters and other X-ray selected sources. With the present article, we release the XMM XXL photon and smoothed images along with the corresponding exposure maps.

Galaxy clusters in the CFHTLS. First matched filter candidate catalogue of the Deep fields

We apply a matched-filter cluster detection algorithm to the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) i-band data for the Deep-1, Deep-2, Deep-3 and Deep-4 fields covering a total of 4square degrees. To test the implemented procedure we carry out simulations for assessing the frequency of noise peaks as well as estimate the recovery efficiency. We estimate that up to z~0.7 the catalogue is essentially complete for clusters of richness class R>~1. The recovered redshifts are in general overestimated by dz=0.1 with a scatter of sigma_dz~0.1, except at redshifts z>~1 where the estimated redshifts are systematically underestimated. The constructed cluster candidate catalogue contains 162 detections over an effective area of 3.112 square degrees corresponding to a density of ~52.1 per square degree. The median estimated redshift of the candidates is z=0.6. The estimated noise frequency is 16.9+-5.4 detections per square degree. From visual inspection we identify systems that show a clear concentration of galaxies with similar colour. These systems have a density of ~20 per square degree.

Intracluster light in clusters of galaxies at redshifts 0.4 < z < 0.8

Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, 382 Via Pueblo Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-4060,USAAccepted . Received ; Draft printed: September 21, 2011ABSTRACTContext.The study of intracluster light (ICL) can help us to understand the mechanisms taking place in galaxy clusters, andto place constraints on the cluster formation history and physical properties. However, owing to the intrinsic faintness of ICLemission, most searches and detailed studies of ICL have been limited to redshifts z< 0.4.Aims.To help us extend our knowledge of ICL properties to higher redshifts and study the evolution of ICL with redshift, wesearch for ICL in a subsample of ten clusters detected by the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS), at redshifts 0.4 <z< 0.8,that are also part of our DAFT/FADA Survey.Methods.We analyze the ICL by applying the OV WAV package, a wavelet-based technique, to deep HST ACS images in theF814W filter and to V-band VLT/FORS2 images of three clusters. Detection levels are assessed as a function of the diffuse lightsource surface brightness using simulations.Results. In the F814W filter images, we detect diffuse light sources in all the clusters, with typical sizes of a few tens of kpc(assuming that they are at the cluster redshifts). The ICL detected by stacking the ten F814W images shows an 8σ detection inthe source center extending over a ∼50×50 kpc

Merging history of three bimodal clusters

We present a combined X-ray and optical analysis of three bimodal galaxy clusters selected as merging candidates at z ∼ 0.1. These targets are part of MUSIC (MUlti-Wavelength Sample of Interacting Clusters), which is a general project designed to study the physics of merging clusters by means of multi-wavelength observations. Observations include spectro-imaging with XMM-Newton EPIC camera, multi-object spectroscopy (260 new redshifts), and wide-field imaging at the ESO 3.6 m and 2.2 m telescopes. We build a global picture of these clusters using X-ray luminosity and temperature maps together with galaxy density and velocity distributions. Idealized numerical simulations were used to constrain the merging scenario for each system. We show that A2933 is very likely an equal-mass advanced pre-merger ∼200 Myr before the core collapse, while A2440 and A2384 are post-merger systems (∼450 Myr and ∼1.5 Gyr after core collapse, respectively). In the case of A2384, we detect a spectacular filament of galaxies and gas spreading over more than 1 h −1 Mpc, which we infer to have been stripped during the previous collision. The analysis of the MUSIC sample allows us to outline some general properties of merging clusters: a strong luminosity segregation of galaxies in recent post-mergers; the existence of preferential axes – corresponding to the merging directions – along which the BCGs and structures on various scales are aligned; the concomitance, in most major merger cases, of secondary merging or accretion events, with groups infalling onto the main cluster, and in some cases the evidence of previous merging episodes in one of the main components. These results are in good agreement with the hierarchical scenario of structure formation, in which clusters are expected to form by successive merging events, and matter is accreted along large-scale filaments.

Galaxy cluster searches based on photometric redshifts in the four CFHTLS Wide fields

Context. Cosmological parameters can be constrained by counting clusters of galaxies as a function of mass and redshift and by considering regions of the sky sampled as deeply and as homogeneously as possible. Aims. Several methods for detecting clusters in large imaging surveys have been developed, among which the one used here, which is based on detecting structures. This method was first applied to the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) Deep 1 field by Mazure et al. (2007, A&A, 467, 49), then to all the Deep and Wide CFHTLS fields available in the T0004 data release by Adami et al. (2010, A&A, 509, A81). The validity of the cluster detection rate was estimated by applying the same procedure to galaxies from the Millennium simulation. Here we use the same method to analyse the full CFHTLS Wide survey, based on the T0006 data release. Methods. Our method is based on the photometric redshifts computed with Le Phare for all the galaxies detected in the Wide fields, limited to magnitudes z � ≤ 22.5. We constructed galaxy density maps in photometric redshift bins of 0.1 based on an adaptive kernel technique, detected structures with SExtractor at various detection levels, and built cluster catalogues by applying a minimal spanning tree algorithm. Results. In a total area of 154 deg 2 , we have detected 4061 candidate clusters at 3σ or above (6802 at 2σ and above), in the redshift range 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 1.15, with estimated mean masses between 1.3 × 10 14 and 12.6 × 10 14 M� . This catalogue of candidate clusters will be available at the CDS. We compare our detections with those made in various CFHTLS analyses with other methods. By stacking a subsample of clusters, we show that this subsample has typical cluster characteristics (colour−magnitude relation, galaxy luminosity function). We also confirm that the cluster-cluster correlation function is comparable to the one obtained for other cluster surveys and analyse large-scale filamentary galaxy distributions. Conclusions. We have increased the number of known optical high-redshift cluster candidates by a large factor, an important step towards obtaining reliable cluster counts to measure cosmological parameters. The clusters that we detect behave as expected if they are located at the intersection of filaments by which they are fed.

A2163: Merger events in the hottest Abell galaxy cluster II. Subcluster accretion with galaxy-gas separation

Located at z = 0.203, A2163 is a rich galaxy cluster with an intra-cluster medium (ICM) that exhibits extraordinary properties, including an exceptionally high X-ray luminosity, average temperature, and a powerful and extended radio halo. The irregular and complex morphology of its gas and galaxy structure suggests that this cluster has recently undergone major merger events that involve two or more cluster components. In this paper, we study the gas structure and dynamics by means of spectral-imaging analysis of X-ray data obtained from XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. From the evidence of a cold front, we infer the westward motion of a cool core across the E-W elongated atmosphere of the main cluster A2163-A. Located close to a galaxy over-density, this gas “bullet” appears to have been spatially separated from its galaxy (and presumably dark matter component) as a result of high-velocity accretion. From gas brightness and temperature profile analysis performed in two opposite regions of the main cluster, we show that the ICM has been adiabatically compressed behind the crossing “bullet” possibly because of shock heating, leading to a strong departure of the ICM from hydrostatic equilibrium in this region. Assuming that the mass estimated from the YX proxy best indicates the overall mass of the system and that the western cluster sector is in approximate hydrostatic equilibrium before subcluster accretion, we infer a merger scenario between two subunits of mass ratio 1:4, leading to a present total system mass of M500 � 1.9 × 10 15 M� . Additional analysis of the spatially-separated northern subcluster A2163-B does not show any evidence of strong interaction with the main cluster A2163-A, leading us to infer that the physical distance separating the northern subcluster and the main component is longer than the projected separation of these components. The exceptional properties of A2163 present various similarities with those of 1E0657-56, the so-called “bullet-cluster”. These similarities are likely to be related to a comparable merger scenario.

The DAFT/FADA survey - I. Photometric redshifts along lines of sight to clusters in the z = [0.4, 0.9] interval

Context. As a contribution to the understanding of the dark energy concept, the Dark energy American French Team (DAFT, in French FADA) has started a large project to characterize statistically high redshift galaxy clusters, infer cosmological constraints from weak lensing tomography, and understand biases relevant for constraining dark energy and cluster physics in future cluster and cosmological experiments. Aims. The purpose of this paper is to establish the basis of reference for the photo-z determination used in all our subsequent papers, including weak lensing tomography studies. Methods. This project is based on a sample of 91 high redshift (z ≥ 0.4), massive (>3 × 10 14 M� ) clusters with existing HST imaging, for which we are presently performing complementary multi-wavelength imaging. This allows us in particular to estimate spectral types and determine accurate photometric redshifts for galaxies along the lines of sight to the first ten clusters for which all the required data are available down to a limit of IAB = 24./24.5 with the LePhare software. The accuracy in redshift is of the order of 0.05 for the range 0.2 ≤ z ≤ 1.5. Results. We verified that the technique applied to obtain photometric redshifts works well by comparing our results to with previous works. In clusters, photo-z accuracy is degraded for bright absolute magnitudes and for the latest and earliest type galaxies. The photo-z accuracy also only slightly varies as a function of the spectral type for field galaxies. As a consequence, we find evidence for an environmental dependence of the photo-z accuracy, interpreted as the standard used spectral energy distributions being not very well suited to cluster galaxies. Finally, we modeled the LCDCS 0504 mass with the strong arcs detected along this line of sight.Context. As a contribution to the understanding of the dark energy con cept, the Dark energy American French Team (DAFT, in French FADA) has started a large project to characterize statistic ally high redshift galaxy clusters, infer cosmological con straints from Weak Lensing Tomography, and understand biases relevant for constraini ng dark energy and cluster physics in future cluster and cosm ological experiments. Aims. The purpose of this paper is to establish the basis of referen c for the photoz determination used in all our subsequent papers, including weak lensing tomography studies. Methods. This project is based on a sample of 91 high redshift ( z ≥0.4), massive ( >∼ 3 × 1014 M⊙) clusters with existing HST imaging, for which we are presently performing complementary multi-wav elength imaging. This allows us in particular to estimate sp ctral types and determine accurate photometric redshifts for galaxies alo ng the lines of sight to the first ten clusters for which all the required data are available down to a limit of IAB = 24./24.5 with the LePhare software. The accuracy in redshift is of th e order of 0.05 for the range 0 .2 ≤ z ≤ 1.5. Results. We verified that the technique applied to obtain photometric redshifts works well by comparing our results to with previo us works. In clusters, photoz accuracy is degraded for bright absolute magnitudes and for the latest and earliest type galaxies. The photoz accuracy also only slightly varies as a function of the spectral type for fie ld galaxies. As a consequence, we find evidence for an environ mental dependence of the photoz accuracy, interpreted as the standard used Spectral Energy Distributions being not very well suited to cluster galaxie s. Finally, we modeled the LCDCS 0504 mass with the strong arcs detected a long this line of sight. ⋆ Based on observations made with the NASA /ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the data archive at the Space Teles cop Institute and the Space Telescope European Coordinating Fa cility. STScI is operated by the association of Universities for Res earch in Astronomy, Inc. under the NASA contract NAS 5-26555. Also ba sed on observations made with ESO Telescopes at Paranal and La Si lla Observatories under programme ESO LP 166.A-0162. Also base d on visiting astronomer observations, at Cerro Tololo Inter -American Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, whi ch is op

Structure and substructure analysis of DAFT/FADA galaxy clusters in the [0.4–0.9] redshift range

Context. The DAFT/FADA survey is based on the study of similar to 90 rich (masses found in the literature \textgreater2 x 10(14) M-circle dot) and moderately distant clusters (redshifts 0.4 \textless z \textless 0.9), all with HST imaging data available. This survey has two main objectives: to constrain dark energy (DE) using weak lensing tomography on galaxy clusters and to build a database (deep multi-band imaging allowing photometric redshift estimates, spectroscopic data, X-ray data) of rich distant clusters to study their properties. Aims. We analyse the structures of all the clusters in the DAFT/FADA survey for which XMM-Newton and/or a sufficient number of galaxy redshifts in the cluster range are available, with the aim of detecting substructures and evidence for merging events. These properties are discussed in the framework of standard cold dark matter (Lambda CDM) cosmology. Methods. In X-rays, we analysed the XMM-Newton data available, fit a beta-model, and subtracted it to identify residuals. We used Chandra data, when available, to identify point sources. In the optical, we applied a Serna & Gerbal (SG) analysis to clusters with at least 15 spectroscopic galaxy redshifts available in the cluster range. We discuss the substructure detection efficiencies of both methods. Results. XMM-Newton data were available for 32 clusters, for which we derive the X-ray luminosity and a global X-ray temperature for 25 of them. For 23 clusters we were able to fit the X-ray emissivity with a beta-model and subtract it to detect substructures in the X-ray gas. A dynamical analysis based on the SG method was applied to the clusters having at least 15 spectroscopic galaxy redshifts in the cluster range: 18 X-ray clusters and 11 clusters with no X-ray data. The choice of a minimum number of 15 redshifts implies that only major substructures will be detected. Ten substructures were detected both in X-rays and by the SG method. Most of the substructures detected both in X-rays and with the SG method are probably at their first cluster pericentre approach and are relatively recent infalls. We also find hints of a decreasing X-ray gas density profile core radius with redshift. Conclusions. The percentage of mass included in substructures was found to be roughly constant with redshift values of 5-15%, in agreement both with the general CDM framework and with the results of numerical simulations. Galaxies in substructures show the same general behaviour as regular cluster galaxies; however, in substructures, there is a deficiency of both late type and old stellar population galaxies. Late type galaxies with recent bursts of star formation seem to be missing in the substructures close to the bottom of the host cluster potential well. However, our sample would need to be increased to allow a more robust analysis.

Optically-selected clusters at 0.8 < z < 1.3 in the EIS Cluster Survey

This paper presents preliminary results of a spectroscopic survey being conducted at the VLT of fields with optically-selected cluster candidates identified in the EIS I-band survey. Here we report our findings for three candidates selected for having estimated redshifts in the range z=0.8-1.1. New multi-band optical/infrared data were used to assign photometric redshifts to galaxies in the cluster fields and to select possible cluster members in preparation of the spectroscopic observations. Based on the available spectroscopic data, which includes 147 new redshifts for galaxies with Iab 99%. The detected concentrations include systems with redshifts z=0.81, z=0.95, z=1.14 and the discovery of the first optically-selected cluster at z=1.3. The latter system, with three concordant redshifts, coincides remarkably well with the location of a firm X-ray detection (>5sigma) in a ~80ksec XMM-Newton image taken as part of this program which will be presented in a future paper (Neumann et al. 2002). The z>1 systems presented here are possibly the most distant identified so far by their optical properties alone.