Studying Galaxy Cluster Evolution with the ESO Distant Cluster Survey
Gregory H. Rudnick
(1)
,
Simon D. M. White
(2)
,
Douglas I. Clowe
(3)
,
Luc Simard
(4)
,
Gabriella de Lucia
(2)
,
Alfonso Aragón-Salamanca
(5)
,
Ralf Bender
(6)
,
P. Best
(7)
,
Malcolm N. Bremer
(8)
,
Stéphane Charlot
(2)
,
Julianne J. Dalcanton
(9)
,
M. Dantel-Fort
(10)
,
Vandana Desai
(11)
,
B. Fort
(12)
,
Claire Halliday
(13)
,
Pascale Jablonka
(10)
,
Guinevere Kauffmann
(2)
,
Yannick Mellier
(12)
,
Bo Milvang-Jensen
(6)
,
R. Pello
(14)
,
Bianca M. Poggianti
(13)
,
Sébastien Poirier
(10)
,
H. J. A. Röttgering
(15)
,
Roberto P. Saglia
(6)
,
P. Schneider
(16)
,
Dennis Zaritsky
(3)
1
NOAO -
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson
2 MPA - Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik
3 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
4 HIA, Victoria
5 UON - University of Nottingham, UK
6 MPE - Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik
7 Royal Observatory Edinburgh
8 University of Bristol [Bristol]
9 University of Washington
10 Observatoire de Paris
11 IPAC - Infrared Processing Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology
12 IAP - Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
13 INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova
14 OMP - Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
15 Sterrewacht Leiden, Leiden University
16 Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
2 MPA - Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik
3 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
4 HIA, Victoria
5 UON - University of Nottingham, UK
6 MPE - Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik
7 Royal Observatory Edinburgh
8 University of Bristol [Bristol]
9 University of Washington
10 Observatoire de Paris
11 IPAC - Infrared Processing Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology
12 IAP - Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
13 INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova
14 OMP - Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
15 Sterrewacht Leiden, Leiden University
16 Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Résumé
We present the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS), a survey of distant galaxy clusters between redshifts of z=0.4 and 0.8. Candidate clusters were chosen from among the brightest objects identified in the Las Campanas Distant Cluster Survey (LCDCS), half with estimated redshift zest ˜ 0.5 and half with zest ˜ 0.8. The sample of 20 clusters was confirmed using two-color data from the VLT/FORS2, with the requirement that an overdensity of galaxies was present with the expected color of the red sequence at zest and with a position corresponding to the LCDCS candidate. Very deep follow-up imaging was then performed in three optical bands with the VLT/FORS2 and in one or two near-infrared bands with NTT/SOFI. Deep optical spectroscopy was performed on all clusters using VLT/FORS2, yielding ˜ 45 confirmed members per cluster. In addition we have obtained wide-field imaging with the ESO Wide Field Imager and have HST/ACS mosaics for 10 of the most distant clusters.