Sign on

SAO/NASA ADS Astronomy Abstract Service

· Find Similar Abstracts (with default settings below)
· Electronic On-line Article (HTML)
· Citations to the Article (1) (Citation History)
· Refereed Citations to the Article
· Also-Read Articles (Reads History)
·
· Translate This Page
Title:
MaxBCG: Systematic discovery, characterization and calibration of galaxy clusters from large optical surveys
Authors:
Koester, Benjamin P.
Affiliation:
AA(University of Michigan)
Publication:
PhD Thesis, Proquest Dissertations And Theses 2006. Section 0127, Part 0606 182 pages; [Ph.D. dissertation].United States -- Michigan: University of Michigan; 2006. Publication Number: AAT 3238000. Source: DAI-B 67/10, Apr 2007
Publication Date:
00/2006
Category:
Astronomy, Astrophysics
Origin:
UMI
Keywords:
MaxBCG, Galaxy clusters, Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Comment:
Publication Number: AAT 3238000; ISBN: 9780542921513; Advisor: McKay, Timothy A.
Bibliographic Code:
2006PhDT........17K

Abstract

With the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe, cosmology and fundamental physics are in the midst of a revolution. The acceleration has far- reaching observational consequences, empowering a host of diverse techniques that may provide clues to the underlying physics of the acceleration. One approach comes from observations of galaxy clusters. Many studies cite the cluster number density and distribution as sensitive cosmological probes. Despite the insistence on the importance of clusters, there is a deficiency of cluster detection techniques that exploit the full power of exquisite CCD- imaging and next-generation simulations required to build and characterize cosmologically relevant samples.

In this thesis, we begin to realize the promise of cluster cosmology by developing an algorithm known as "MaxBCG", and applying it to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). MaxBCG is built upon observational cornerstones of galaxy clusters: they contain statistical overdensities of bright red galaxies surrounding a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG). Using mock galaxy catalogs, MaxBCG is characterized at unprecedented levels, and it is demonstrated that it operates at high purity and completeness. The algorithm is then used to discover 13,823 clusters in the SDSS, with 0.1 < z < 0.3, at least 10 bright galaxies, and masses [Special characters omitted.] 1 × 10 14 [Special characters omitted.] . The catalog is approximately volume-limited, and the masses and redshifts are well-calibrated. Photometric redshift errors are shown to be small, [sigma] z < 0.015, and the richness in an effective mass proxy, scaling well with both dynamical and weak lensing mass estimators. As cluster masses are of paramount importance in cosmology, we also present a new background-corrected richness measurement, made possible by the immense area of the SDSS, and show that it contains more mass information than previous mass proxies.

With the completion of this thesis, we lay the groundwork for cosmology with optical clusters. The wealth of information contained in optical surveys is a resource we have only just tapped, and as simulations become more realistic, their combined power may allow cluster studies to supply reliable constraints on cosmology.

Bibtex entry for this abstract   Preferred format for this abstract (see Preferences)
   

Find Similar Abstracts:

Use: Authors
Title
Keywords (in text query field)
Abstract Text
Return: Query Results Return    items starting with number
Query Form
Database: Astronomy
Physics
arXiv e-prints