First Results on Shear-selected Clusters from the Deep Lens Survey: Optical Imaging, Spectroscopy, and X-Ray Follow-up
Abstract
We present the first sample of galaxy clusters selected on the basis of their weak gravitational lensing shear. The shear induced by a cluster is a function of its mass profile and its redshift relative to the background galaxies being sheared; in contrast to more traditional methods of selecting clusters, shear selection does not depend on the cluster's star formation history, baryon content, or dynamical state. Because mass is the property of clusters that provides constraints on cosmological parameters, the dependence on these other parameters could induce potentially important biases in traditionally selected samples. Comparison of a shear-selected sample with optically and X-ray-selected samples is therefore of great importance. Here we present the first step toward a new shear-selected sample: the selection of cluster candidates from the first 8.6 deg2 of the 20 deg2 Deep Lens Survey (DLS), and tabulation of their basic properties such as redshifts and optical and X-ray counterparts.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1086/502621
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0507606
- Bibcode:
- 2006ApJ...643..128W
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: Clusters: General;
- Cosmology: Gravitational Lensing;
- Surveys;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- v2 as published in ApJ, 45 pages, 18 figures. Biggest change from v1 is addition of a figure showing the 1-point distribution of pixels in the mass maps and control "mass maps" using the non-tangential component of shear, demonstrating that all candidate peaks are higher than any peak seen in the control maps