M. James Jee

DISCOVERY OF A DISSOCIATIVE GALAXY CLUSTER MERGER WITH LARGE PHYSICAL SEPARATION

We present DLSCL J0916.2+2951 (z = 0.53), a newly discovered major cluster merger in which the collisional cluster gas has become dissociated from the collisionless galaxies and dark matter (DM). We identified the cluster using optical and weak-lensing observations as part of the Deep Lens Survey. Our follow-up observations with Keck, Subaru, Hubble Space Telescope, and Chandra show that the cluster is a dissociative merger and constrain the DM self-interaction cross-section σDM m –1 DM 7 cm2 g–1. The system is observed at least 0.7 ± 0.2 Gyr since first pass-through, thus providing a picture of cluster mergers 2-5 times further progressed than similar systems observed to date. This improved temporal leverage has implications for our understanding of merging clusters and their impact on galaxy evolution.

z ~ 7-10 Galaxies Behind Lensing Clusters: Contrast with Field Search Results

We conduct a search for z 7 dropout galaxies behind 11 massive lensing clusters using 21 arcmin2 of deep Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS, ACS, and WFPC2 image data. In total, over this entire area, we find only one robust z ~ 7 z-dropout candidate (previously reported around Abell 1689). Four less robust z-dropout and J-dropout candidates are also found. The nature of the four weaker candidates could not be precisely determined due to the limited depth of the available optical data, but detailed simulations suggest that all four are likely to be low-redshift interlopers. By contrast, we estimate that our robust candidate A1689-zD1 has <0.2% probability of being a low-redshift interloper. We compare these numbers with what we might expect using the z ~ 7 UV luminosity function (LF) determined from field searches. We predict 2.7 z ~ 7 z-dropouts and 0.3 z ~ 9 J-dropouts over our cluster search area, in reasonable agreement with our observational results, given the small numbers. The number of z 7 candidates we find in the present search is much lower than that which has been reported in several previous studies of the prevalence of z 7 galaxies behind lensing clusters. To understand these differences, we examined z 7 candidates in other studies and conclude that only a small fraction are likely to be z 7 galaxies. Our findings support models that show that gravitational lensing from clusters is of the most value for detecting galaxies at magnitudes brighter than L* (H 27) where the LF is expected to be very steep. Use of these clusters to constrain the faint-end slope or determine the full LF is likely of less value due to the shallower effective slope measured for the LF at fainter magnitudes, as well as significant uncertainties introduced from modeling both the gravitational lensing and incompleteness.

Cosmic Shear Results from the Deep Lens Survey - II: Full Cosmological Parameter Constraints from Tomography

We present a tomographic cosmic shear study from the Deep Lens Survey (DLS), which, providing a limiting magnitude r_{lim}~27 (5 sigma), is designed as a pre-cursor Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) survey with an emphasis on depth. Using five tomographic redshift bins, we study their auto- and cross-correlations to constrain cosmological parameters. We use a luminosity-dependent nonlinear model to account for the astrophysical systematics originating from intrinsic alignments of galaxy shapes. We find that the cosmological leverage of the DLS is among the highest among existing >10 sq. deg cosmic shear surveys. Combining the DLS tomography with the 9-year results of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP9) gives Omega_m=0.293_{-0.014}^{+0.012}, sigma_8=0.833_{-0.018}^{+0.011}, H_0=68.6_{-1.2}^{+1.4} km/s/Mpc, and Omega_b=0.0475+-0.0012 for LCDM, reducing the uncertainties of the WMAP9-only constraints by ~50%. When we do not assume flatness for LCDM, we obtain the curvature constraint Omega_k=-0.010_{-0.015}^{+0.013} from the DLS+WMAP9 combination, which however is not well constrained when WMAP9 is used alone. The dark energy equation of state parameter w is tightly constrained when Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) data are added, yielding w=-1.02_{-0.09}^{+0.10} with the DLS+WMAP9+BAO joint probe. The addition of supernova constraints further tightens the parameter to w=-1.03+-0.03. Our joint constraints are fully consistent with the final Planck results and also the predictions of a LCDM universe.

The case for electron re-acceleration at galaxy cluster shocks

On the largest scales, the Universe consists of voids and filaments making up the cosmic web. Galaxy clusters are located at the knots in this web, at the intersection of filaments. Clusters grow through accretion from these large-scale filaments and by mergers with other clusters and groups. In a growing number of galaxy clusters, elongated Mpc-size radio sources have been found [1, 2]. Also known as radio relics, these regions of diffuse radio emission are thought to trace relativistic electrons in the intracluster plasma accelerated by low-Mach number shocks generated by cluster-cluster merger events [3]. A long-standing problem is how low-Mach number shocks can accelerate electrons so efficiently to explain the observed radio relics. Here we report the discovery of a direct connection between a radio relic and a radio galaxy in the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3411-3412 by combining radio, X-ray, and optical observations. This discovery indicates that fossil relativistic electrons from active galactic nuclei are re-accelerated at cluster shocks. It also implies that radio galaxies play an important role in governing the non-thermal component of the intracluster medium in merging clusters.

MC2: GALAXY IMAGING AND REDSHIFT ANALYSIS OF THE MERGING CLUSTER CIZA J2242.8+5301

X-ray and radio observations of CIZA J2242.8+5301 suggest that it is a major cluster merger. Despite being well studied in the X-ray and radio, little has been presented on the cluster structure and dynamics inferred from its galaxy population. We carried out a deep (

The return of the merging galaxy subclusters of El Gordo

i\lt 25

MC2: Multiwavelength and Dynamical Analysis of the Merging Galaxy Cluster ZwCl 0008.8+5215: An Older and Less Massive Bullet Cluster

) broadband imaging survey of the system with Subaru SuprimeCam (g and i bands) and the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (r band), as well as a comprehensive spectroscopic survey of the cluster area (505 redshifts) using Keck DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph. We use these data to perform a comprehensive galaxy/redshift analysis of the system, which is the first step to a proper understanding of the geometry and dynamics of the merger, as well as using the merger to constrain self-interacting dark matter. We find that the system is dominated by two subclusters of comparable richness with a projected separation of

MC2 : A Deeper Look at ZwCl 2341.1+0000 with Bayesian Galaxy Clustering and Weak Lensing Analyses

6\buildrel{\,\prime}\over{.} 9_{-0.5}^{+0.7}

Deep VLA Observations of the Cluster 1RXS J0603.3+4214 in the Frequency Range of 1–2 GHz

(1.3

A Unified Analysis of Four Cosmic Shear Surveys

_{-0.10}^{+0.13}\;{\rm Mpc}