Projection effects in galaxy cluster samples: insights from X-ray redshifts

Up to now, the largest sample of galaxy clusters selected in X-rays comes from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS). Although there have been many interesting clusters discovered with the RASS data, the broad point spread function (PSF) of the ROSAT satellite limits the amount of spatial information of the detected objects. This leads to the discovery of new cluster features when a re-observation is performed with higher resolution X-ray satellites. Here we present the results from XMM-Newton observations of three clusters: RXCJ2306.6-1319, ZwCl1665 and RXCJ0034.6-0208, for which the observations reveal a double or triple system of extended components. These clusters belong to the extremely expanded HIghest X-ray FLUx Galaxy Cluster Sample (eeHIFLUGCS), which is a flux-limited cluster sample ($f_\textrm{X,500}\geq 5\times10^{-12}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ in the $0.1-2.4$ keV energy band). For each structure in each cluster, we determine the redshift with the X-ray spectrum and find that the components are not part of the same cluster. This is confirmed by an optical spectroscopic analysis of the galaxy members. Therefore, the total number of clusters is actually 7 and not 3. We derive global cluster properties of each extended component. We compare the measured properties to lower-redshift group samples, and find a good agreement. Our flux measurements reveal that only one component of the ZwCl1665 cluster has a flux above the eeHIFLUGCS limit, while the other clusters will no longer be part of the sample. These examples demonstrate that cluster-cluster projections can bias X-ray cluster catalogues and that with high-resolution X-ray follow-up this bias can be corrected

The XXL Survey VIII: MUSE characterisation of intracluster light in a z∼\sim0.53 cluster of galaxies

Within a cluster, gravitational effects can lead to the removal of stars from their parent galaxies. Gas hydrodynamical effects can additionally strip gas and dust from galaxies. The properties of the ICL can therefore help constrain the physical processes at work in clusters by serving as a fossil record of the interaction history. The present study is designed to characterise this ICL in a ~10^14 M_odot and z~0.53 cluster of galaxies from imaging and spectroscopic points of view. By applying a wavelet-based method to CFHT Megacam and WIRCAM images, we detect significant quantities of diffuse light. These sources were then spectroscopically characterised with MUSE. MUSE data were also used to compute redshifts of 24 cluster galaxies and search for cluster substructures. An atypically large amount of ICL has been detected in this cluster. Part of the detected diffuse light has a very weak optical stellar component and apparently consists mainly of gas emission, while other diffuse light sources are clearly dominated by old stars. Furthermore, emission lines were detected in several places of diffuse light. Our spectral analysis shows that this emission likely originates from low-excitation parameter gas. The stellar contribution to the ICL is about 2.3x10^9 yrs old even though the ICL is not currently forming a large number of stars. On the other hand, the contribution of the gas emission to the ICL in the optical is much greater than the stellar contribution in some regions, but the gas density is likely too low to form stars. These observations favour ram pressure stripping, turbulent viscous stripping, or supernovae winds as the origin of the large amount of intracluster light. Since the cluster appears not to be in a major merging phase, we conclude that ram pressure stripping is the most plausible process that generates the observed ICL sources.Comment: Accepted in A&A, english enhanced, figure location different than in the A&A version due to different style files, shortened abstrac

The XXL Survey X: K-band luminosity - weak-lensing mass relation for groups and clusters of galaxies

We present the K-band luminosity-halo mass relation, $L_{K,500}-M_{500,WL}$, for a subsample of 20 of the 100 brightest clusters in the XXL Survey observed with WIRCam at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). For the first time, we have measured this relation via weak-lensing analysis down to $M_{500,WL} =3.5 \times 10^{13}\,M_\odot$. This allows us to investigate whether the slope of the $L_K-M$ relation is different for groups and clusters, as seen in other works. The clusters in our sample span a wide range in mass, $M_{500,WL} =0.35-12.10 \times 10^{14}\,M_\odot$, at $0<z<0.6$. The K-band luminosity scales as $\log_{10}(L_{K,500}/10^{12}L_\odot) \propto \beta log_{10}(M_{500,WL}/10^{14}M_\odot)$ with $\beta = 0.85^{+0.35}_{-0.27}$ and an intrinsic scatter of $\sigma_{lnL_K|M} =0.37^{+0.19}_{-0.17}$. Combining our sample with some clusters in the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS) present in the literature, we obtain a slope of $1.05^{+0.16}_{-0.14}$ and an intrinsic scatter of $0.14^{+0.09}_{-0.07}$. The flattening in the $L_K-M$ seen in previous works is not seen here and might be a result of a bias in the mass measurement due to assumptions on the dynamical state of the systems. We also study the richness-mass relation and find that group-sized halos have more galaxies per unit halo mass than massive clusters. However, the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in low-mass systems contributes a greater fraction to the total cluster light than BCGs do in massive clusters; the luminosity gap between the two brightest galaxies is more prominent for group-sized halos. This result is a natural outcome of the hierarchical growth of structures, where massive galaxies form and gain mass within low-mass groups and are ultimately accreted into more massive clusters to become either part of the BCG or one of the brighter galaxies. [Abridged]Comment: A&A, in pres

The 2-10 keV unabsorbed luminosity function of AGN from the XMM-Newton LSS, CDFS and COSMOS surveys

The XMM-LSS, XMM-COSMOS, and XMM-CDFS surveys are complementary in terms of sky coverage and depth. Together, they form a clean sample with the least possible variance in instrument effective areas and PSF. Therefore this is one of the best samples available to determine the 2-10 keV luminosity function of AGN and its evolution. The samples and the relevant corrections for incompleteness are described. A total of 2887 AGN is used to build the LF in the luminosity interval 10^42-10^46 erg/s, and in the redshift interval 0.001-4. A new method to correct for absorption by considering the probability distribution for the column density conditioned on the hardness ratio is presented. The binned luminosity function and its evolution is determined with a variant of the Page-Carrera method, improved to include corrections for absorption and to account for the full probability distribution of photometric redshifts. Parametric models, namely a double power-law with LADE or LDDE evolution, are explored using Bayesian inference. We introduce the Watanabe-Akaike information criterion (WAIC) to compare the models and estimate their predictive power. Our data are best described by the LADE model, as hinted by the WAIC indicator. We also explore the 15-parameter extended LDDE model recently proposed by Ueda et al., and find that this extension is not supported by our data. The strength of our method is that it provides: un-absorbed non-parametric estimates; credible intervals for luminosity function parameters; model choice according to which one has more predictive power for future data.Comment: In press on A&A. The revised version corrects typos and the LF normalisations in tables 1,2,5 and figs.9-12, which were on an incorrect scale. Online material available at http://www.astro.lu.se/~piero/xlf/xlf-paper-tables2.tgz . The software is available on the author's website http://www.astro.lu.se/~piero/LFTools/index.html and on github: https://github.com/piero-ranalli/LFTool

Effect of the microstructure on the cutting performance of superhard (Ti, Si, Al)N nanocomposite films

A d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering technique was used to deposit (Ti,Si,Al)N coatings onto WC–Co cutting tools. The microstructure of the coatings was analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and highresolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurement. Before the cutting experiments, the XRD results revealed a structure indexed to an fcc TiN. The results obtained by the XRD tests, with detector variation in asymmetric mode (rocking curves) showed a decrease in the quality of the fiber texture in the (111) grains with the change on deposition chamber geometry (two magnetrons in place of four magnetrons). Cross-sectional HRTEM images of the (Ti,Al)N sample showed grains with a diameter between 16 and 30 nm, while for the (Ti,Si,Al)N samples grains with a diameter between 6 and 10 nm were observed. Furthermore, through the visualization of bright field images it was possible to discern a columnar structure. For samples prepared at high deposition rates (2 mm/h), HRTEM micrographs revealed the formation of the multilayer stacking of (Ti,Si)N/(Ti,Al)N

Structural analysis of Ti1−xSixNy nanocomposite films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

Nanocomposite thin films consisting of both nanosized solid solutions or nanosized polycrystalline materials embedded in various amorphous matrix materials thus provide a grate potential for future mechanical devices. In this paper we report on the preparation of films resulting from additions of Si to TiN matrix by r.f. reactive magnetron sputtering. Structural properties such as growing characteristics (type of matrix, texture and grain size) will be analysed in some detail. Conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), together with both symmetric and asymmetric mode X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were used for this characterisation. The atomic composition of the samples was obtained by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The analysis will be carried out as a function of the Si content in the Ti1-xSixNy matrix and several relations will be made regarding important parameters such as texture evolution, grain sizes, but most specially by the type of matrix developed. Regarding the results, all samples develop a double fcc phase with lattice parameters of 4.30 Å and 4.17 Å, corresponding to cubic TiN and most likely to a cubic lattice of SiNx, respectively. Although no significant changes in texture were observed till Si compositions up to 10.6 at. %, the arrangement in atoms planes seem to vary. Results show that an asymmetric arrangement is developed in samples of small Si additions. This arrangement becomes more isotropic with the increase of Si contents, which we attribute to the increase in the SiNx content. In fact this increase leads also to the development of a small amorphous tissue of Si3N4 for large Si additions.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the ‘Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia’ (FCT) during the course of this research under project n PBICT/P/CTM/1962/95 and also the French CNRS Institution and the Portugese ICCTI Institution through CNRS/ICCTI Programs (N: 5522-1998 and 7087-1999)

The XXL Survey VII: A supercluster of galaxies at z=0.43

The XXL Survey is the largest homogeneous and contiguous survey carried out with XMM-Newton. Covering an area of 50 square degrees distributed over two fields, it primarily investigates the large-scale structures of the Universe using the distribution of galaxy clusters and active galactic nuclei as tracers of the matter distribution. Given its depth and sky coverage, XXL is particularly suited to systematically unveiling the clustering of X-ray clusters and to identifying superstructures in a homogeneous X-ray sample down to the typical mass scale of a local massive cluster. A friends-of-friends algorithm in three-dimensional physical space was run to identify large-scale structures. In this paper we report the discovery of the highest redshift supercluster of galaxies found in the XXL Survey. We describe the X-ray properties of the clusters members of the structure and the optical follow-up. The newly discovered supercluster is composed of six clusters of galaxies at a median redshift z around 0.43 and distributed across approximately 30 by 15 arc minutes (10 by 5 Mpc on sky) on the sky. This structure is very compact with all the clusters residing in one XMM pointing; for this reason this is the first supercluster discovered with the XXL Survey. Spectroscopic follow-up with WHT (William Herschel Telescope) and NTT (New Technology Telescope) confirmed a median redshift of z = 0.43. An estimate of the X-ray mass and luminosity of this supercluster and of its total gas mass put XLSSC-e at the average mass range of superclusters; its appearance, with two members of equal size, is quite unusual with respect to other superclusters and provides a unique view of the formation process of a massive structure.Comment: A&A, accepted; special XXL issu

The XXL Survey XI: ATCA 2.1 GHz continuum observations

We present 2.1 GHz imaging with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) of a 6.5 deg^2 region within the XXM-Newton XXL South field using a band of 1.1-3.1 GHz. We achieve an angular resolution of 4.7" x 4.2" in the final radio continuum map with a median rms noise level of 50 uJy/beam. We identify 1389 radio sources in the field with peak S/N >=5 and present the catalogue of observed parameters. We find that 305 sources are resolved, of which 77 consist of multiple radio components. These number counts are in agreement with those found for the COSMOS-VLA 1.4 GHz survey. We derive spectral indices by a comparison with the Sydney University Molongolo Sky Survey (SUMSS) 843MHz data. We find an average spectral index of -0.78 and a scatter of 0.28, in line with expectations. This pilot survey was conducted in preparation for a larger ATCA program to observe the full 25 deg^2 southern XXL field. When complete, the survey will provide a unique resource of sensitive, wide-field radio continuum imaging with complementary X-ray data in the field. This will facilitate studies of the physical mechanisms of radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs and galaxy clusters, and the role they play in galaxy evolution. The source catalogue is publicly available online via the XXL Master Catalogue browser and the Centre de Donn\'ees astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS).Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Accepted by A&A 13th October 201

The Spitzer-South Pole Telescope Deep Field: Survey Design and IRAC Catalogs

The Spitzer-South Pole Telescope Deep Field (SSDF) is a wide-area survey using Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) to cover 94 square degrees of extragalactic sky, making it the largest IRAC survey completed to date outside the Milky Way midplane. The SSDF is centered at 23:30,-55:00, in a region that combines observations spanning a broad wavelength range from numerous facilities. These include millimeter imaging from the South Pole Telescope, far-infrared observations from Herschel/SPIRE, X-ray observations from the XMM XXL survey, near-infrared observations from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey, and radio-wavelength imaging from the Australia Telescope Compact Array, in a panchromatic project designed to address major outstanding questions surrounding galaxy clusters and the baryon budget. Here we describe the Spitzer/IRAC observations of the SSDF, including the survey design, observations, processing, source extraction, and publicly available data products. In particular, we present two band-merged catalogs, one for each of the two warm IRAC selection bands. They contain roughly 5.5 and 3.7 million distinct sources, the vast majority of which are galaxies, down to the SSDF 5-sigma sensitivity limits of 19.0 and 18.2 Vega mag (7.0 and 9.4 microJy) at 3.6 and 4.5 microns, respectively.Comment: Accepted by ApJS; this version updated to conform to refereed articl

Combined analysis of weak lensing and X-ray blind surveys

We present a joint weak lensing and X-ray analysis of 4 deg$^2$ from the CFHTLS and XMM-LSS surveys. Our weak lensing analysis is the first analysis of a real survey using shapelets, a new generation weak lensing analysis method. We create projected mass maps of the images, and extract 6 weak-lensing-detected clusters of galaxies. We show that their counts can be used to constrain the power spectrum normalisation $\sigma_8 =0.92_{-0.30}^{+0.26}$ for $\Omega_m=0.24$. We show that despite the large scatter generally observed in the M-T relation derived from lensing masses, tight constraints on both its slope and normalisation $M_*$ can be obtained with a moderate number of sources provided that the covered mass range is large enough. Adding clusters from Bardeau et al. (2007) to our sample, we measure $M_* = 2.71_{-0.61}^{+0.79} 10^{14} h^{-1} M_\odot$. Although they are dominated by shot noise and sample variance, our measurements are consistent with currently favoured values, and set the stage for future surveys. We thus investigate the dependence of those estimates on survey size, depth, and integration time, for joint weak lensing and X-ray surveys. We show that deep surveys should be dedicated to the study of the physics of clusters and groups of galaxies. For a given exposure time, wide surveys provide a larger number of detected clusters and are therefore preferred for the measurement of cosmological parameters such as $\sigma_8$ and $M_*$. We show that a wide survey of a few hundred square degrees is needed to improve upon current measurements of these parameters. More ambitious surveys covering 7000 deg$^2$ will provide the 1% accuracy in the estimation of the power spectrum and the M-T relation normalisations.Comment: MNRAS in press Matches accepted version. References update