The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey. II. Initial Spectroscopic Confirmation of z ~ 1 Galaxy Clusters Selected from 10,000 deg2
Abstract
We present optical and infrared imaging and optical spectroscopy of galaxy clusters which were identified as part of an all-sky search for high-redshift galaxy clusters, the Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS). The initial phase of MaDCoWS combined infrared data from the all-sky data release of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) with optical data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to select probable z ~ 1 clusters of galaxies over an area of 10,000 deg2. Our spectroscopy confirms 19 new clusters at 0.7 < z < 1.3, half of which are at z > 1, demonstrating the viability of using WISE to identify high-redshift galaxy clusters. The next phase of MaDCoWS will use the greater depth of the AllWISE data release to identify even higher redshift cluster candidates.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
- Pub Date:
- August 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0067-0049/213/2/25
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1403.3361
- Bibcode:
- 2014ApJS..213...25S
- Keywords:
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- galaxies: clusters: individual;
- galaxies: distances and redshifts;
- galaxies: evolution;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement