Robust weak-lensing mass calibration of Planck galaxy clusters

In light of the tension in cosmological constraints reported by the Planck team between their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich-selected cluster counts and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropies, we compare the Planck cluster mass estimates with robust, weak-lensing mass measurements from the Weighing the Giants (WtG) project. For the 22 clusters in common between the Planck cosmology sample and WtG, we find an overall mass ratio of <M_Planck/M_WtG> = 0.688 ± 0.072. Extending the sample to clusters not used in the Planck cosmology analysis yields a consistent value of <M_Planck/M_WtG> = 0.698 ± 0.062 from 38 clusters in common. Identifying the weak-lensing masses as proxies for the true cluster mass (on average), these ratios are ∼1.6σ lower than the default bias factor of 0.8 assumed in the Planck cluster analysis. Adopting the WtG weak-lensing-based mass calibration would substantially reduce the tension found between the Planck cluster count cosmology results and those from CMB temperature anisotropies, thereby dispensing of the need for `new physics' such as uncomfortably large neutrino masses (in the context of the measured Planck temperature anisotropies and other data). We also find modest evidence (at 95 per cent confidence) for a mass dependence of the calibration ratio and discuss its potential origin in light of systematic uncertainties in the temperature calibration of the X-ray measurements used to calibrate the Planck cluster masses. Our results exemplify the critical role that robust absolute mass calibration plays in cluster cosmology, and the invaluable role of accurate weak-lensing mass measurements in this regard.