Spectroscopic Confirmation of the Cl 1604 Supercluster at z~0.9

We present spectroscopic confirmation of the Cl 1604 supercluster at z~0.9. Originally detected as two individual clusters, Cl 1604+4304 at z = 0.90 and Cl 1604+4321 at z = 0.92, which are closely separated in both redshift and sky position, subsequent imaging revealed a complex of red galaxies bridging the two clusters, suggesting that the region contained a large scale structure. We have carried out extensive multi-object spectroscopy, which, combined with previous measurements, provides ~600 redshifts in this area, including 230 confirmed supercluster members. We detect two additional clusters that are part of this structure, Cl 1604+4314 at z = 0.87 and Cl 1604+4316 at z = 0.94. All four have properties typical of local clusters, with line-of-sight velocity dispersions between 489 and 962 km/s. The structure is significantly extended in redshift space, which, if interpreted as a true elongation in real space, implies a depth of 93 Mpc. We examine the spatial and redshift distribution of the supercluster members.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters. 4 pages with 3 figure

Angular Power Spectrum of the Microwave Background Anisotropy seen by the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer

The angular power spectrum estimator developed by Peebles (1973) and Hauser & Peebles (1973) has been modified and applied to the 2 year maps produced by the COBE DMR. The power spectrum of the real sky has been compared to the power spectra of a large number of simulated random skies produced with noise equal to the observed noise and primordial density fluctuation power spectra of power law form, with $P(k) \propto k^n$. Within the limited range of spatial scales covered by the COBE DMR, corresponding to spherical harmonic indices 3 \leq \ell \lsim 30, the best fitting value of the spectral index is $n = 1.25^{+0.4}_{-0.45}$ with the Harrison-Zeldovich value $n = 1$ approximately 0.5$\sigma$ below the best fit. For 3 \leq \ell \lsim 19, the best fit is $n = 1.46^{+0.39}_{-0.44}$. Comparing the COBE DMR $\Delta T/T$ at small $\ell$ to the $\Delta T/T$ at $\ell \approx 50$ from degree scale anisotropy experiments gives a smaller range of acceptable spectral indices which includes $n = 1$.Comment: 22 pages of LaTex using aaspp.sty and epsf.sty with appended Postscript figures, COBE Preprint 94-0

The Tolman Surface Brightness Test for the Reality of the Expansion. III. HST Profile and Surface Brightness Data for Early-Type Galaxies in Three High-Redshift Clusters

Photometric data for 34 early-type galaxies in the three high-redshift clusters Cl 1324+3011 (z = 0.76), Cl 1604+4304 (z = 0.90), and Cl 1604+4321 (z = 0.92), observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and with the Keck 10-meter telescopes by Oke, Postman & Lubin, are analyzed to obtain the photometric parameters of mean surface brightness, magnitudes for the growth curves, and angular radii at various Petrosian eta radii. The angular radii at eta = 1.3 mag for the program galaxies are all larger than 0.24". All of the galaxies are well resolved at this angular size using HST whose point-spread function is 0.05", half width at half maximum. The data for each of the program galaxies are listed at eta = 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, and 2.0 mag. They are corrected by color equations and K terms for the effects of redshift to the rest-frame Cape/Cousins I for Cl 1324+3011 and Cl 1604+4304 and R for Cl 1604+4321. The K corrections are calculated from synthetic spectral energy distributions derived from evolving stellar population models of Bruzual & Charlot which have been fitted to the observed broad-band (BVRI) AB magnitudes of each program galaxy. The listed photometric data are independent of all cosmological parameters. They are the source data for the Tolman surface brightness test made in Paper IV.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

A Definitive Optical Detection of a Supercluster at z = 0.91

We present the results from a multi-band optical imaging program which has definitively confirmed the existence of a supercluster at z = 0.91. Two massive clusters of galaxies, CL1604+4304 at z = 0.897 and CL1604+4321 at z = 0.924, were originally observed in the high-redshift cluster survey of Oke, Postman & Lubin (1998). They are separated by 4300 km/s in radial velocity and 17 arcminutes on the plane of the sky. Their physical and redshift proximity suggested a promising supercluster candidate. Deep BRi imaging of the region between the two clusters indicates a large population of red galaxies. This population forms a tight, red sequence in the color--magnitude diagram at (R-i) = 1.4. The characteristic color is identical to that of the spectroscopically-confirmed early-type galaxies in the two member clusters. The red galaxies are spread throughout the 5 Mpc region between CL1604+4304 and CL1604+4321. Their spatial distribution delineates the entire large scale structure with high concentrations at the cluster centers. In addition, we detect a significant overdensity of red galaxies directly between CL1604+4304 and CL1604+4321 which is the signature of a third, rich cluster associated with this system. The strong sequence of red galaxies and their spatial distribution clearly indicate that we have discovered a supercluster at z = 0.91.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters. 13 pages, including 5 figure

The Dipole Observed in the COBE DMR Four-Year Data

The largest anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the $\approx 3$ mK dipole assumed to be due to our velocity with respect to the CMB. Using the four year data set from all six channels of the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR), we obtain a best-fit dipole amplitude $3.358 \pm 0.001 \pm 0.023$ mK in the direction $(l,b)=(264\deg.31 \pm 0\deg.04 \pm 0\deg.16, +48\deg.05 \pm 0\deg.02 \pm 0\deg.09)$, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second include calibration and combined systematic uncertainties. This measurement is consistent with previous DMR and FIRAS resultsComment: New and improved version; to be published in ApJ next mont

A new Tolman test of a cosmic distance duality relation at 21 cm

Under certain general conditions in an expanding universe, the luminosity distance (d_L) and angular diameter distance (d_A) are connected by the Etherington relation as d_L = d_A (1 + z)^2. The Tolman test suggests the use of objects of known surface brightness, to test this relation. In this letter, we propose the use of redshifted 21 cm signal from disk galaxies, where neutral hydrogen (HI) masses are seen to be almost linearly correlated with surface area, to conduct a new Tolman test. We construct simulated catalogs of galaxies, with the observed size-luminosity relation and realistic redshift evolution of HI mass functions, likely to be detected with the planned Square Kilometer Array (SKA). We demonstrate that these observations may soon provide the best implementation of the Tolman test to detect any violation of the Etherington relation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, v2: published versio

The Observations of Redshift Evolution in Large-Scale Environments (ORELSE) Survey. I. The Survey Design and First Results on CL 0023+0423 at z = 0.84 and RX J1821.6+6827 at z = 0.82

We present the Observations of Redshift Evolution in Large-Scale Environments (ORELSE) Survey, a systematic search for structure on scales greater than 10 h^(–1)_70 Mpc around 20 well-known clusters at redshifts of 0.6 < z < 1.3. The goal of the survey is to examine a statistical sample of dynamically active clusters and large-scale structures in order to quantify galaxy properties over the full range of local and global environments. We describe the survey design, the cluster sample, and our extensive observational data covering at least 25' around each target cluster. We use adaptively smoothed red galaxy density maps from our wide-field optical imaging to identify candidate groups/clusters and intermediate-density large-scale filaments/walls in each cluster field. Because photometric techniques (such as photometric redshifts, statistical overdensities, and richness estimates) can be highly uncertain, the crucial component of this survey is the unprecedented amount of spectroscopic coverage. We are using the wide-field, multiobject spectroscopic capabilities of the Deep Multiobject Imaging Spectrograph to obtain 100-200+ confirmed cluster members in each field. Our survey has already discovered the Cl 1604 supercluster at z ≈ 0.9, a structure which contains at least eight groups and clusters and spans 13 Mpc × 100 Mpc. Here, we present the results on the large-scale environments of two additional clusters, Cl 0023+0423 at z = 0.84 and RX J1821.6+6827 at z = 0.82, which highlight the diversity of global properties at these redshifts. The optically selected Cl 0023+0423 is a four-way group-group merger with constituent groups having measured velocity dispersions between 206 and 479 km s^–1. The galaxy population is dominated by blue, star-forming galaxies, with 80% of the confirmed members showing [O II] emission. The strength of the Hδ line in a composite spectrum of 138 members indicates a substantial contribution from recent starbursts to the overall galaxy population. In contrast, the X-ray-selected RX J1821.6+6827 is a largely isolated, massive cluster with a measured velocity dispersion of 926 ± 77 km s^(–1). The cluster exhibits a well-defined red sequence with a large quiescent galaxy population. The results from these two targets, along with preliminary findings on other ORELSE clusters, suggest that optical selection may be more effective than X-ray surveys at detecting less-evolved, dynamically active systems at these redshifts