Precision Measurements of the Cluster Red Sequence using an Error Corrected Gaussian Mixture Model Metadata

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Title

  • Main Title Precision Measurements of the Cluster Red Sequence using an Error Corrected Gaussian Mixture Model

Creator

  • Author: Hao, Jiangang
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Koester, Benjamin P.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Mckay, Timothy A.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Rykoff, Eli S.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Rozo, Eduardo
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Evrard, August
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Annis, James
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Becker, Matthew
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Busha, Michael
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Gerdes, David
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Johnston, David E.
    Creator Type: Personal

Contributor

  • Sponsor: United States. Department of Energy.
    Contributor Type: Organization

Publisher

  • Name: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
    Place of Publication: Batavia, Illinois
    Additional Info: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL

Date

  • Creation: 2009-07-01

Language

  • English

Description

  • Content Description: The red sequence is an important feature of galaxy clusters and plays a crucial role in optical cluster detection. Measurement of the slope and scatter of the red sequence are affected both by selection of red sequence galaxies and measurement errors. In this paper, we describe a new error corrected Gaussian Mixture Model for red sequence galaxy identification. Using this technique, we can remove the effects of measurement error and extract unbiased information about the intrinsic properties of the red sequence. We use this method to select red sequence galaxies in each of the 13,823 clusters in the maxBCG catalog, and measure the red sequence ridgeline location and scatter of each. These measurements provide precise constraints on the variation of the average red galaxy populations in the observed frame with redshift. We find that the scatter of the red sequence ridgeline increases mildly with redshift, and that the slope decreases with redshift. We also observe that the slope does not strongly depend on cluster richness. Using similar methods, we show that this behavior is mirrored in a spectroscopic sample of field galaxies, further emphasizing that ridgeline properties are independent of environment. These precise measurements serve as an important observational check on simulations and mock galaxy catalogs. The observed trends in the slope and scatter of the red sequence ridgeline with redshift are clues to possible intrinsic evolution of the cluster red-sequence itself. Most importantly, the methods presented in this work lay the groundwork for further improvements in optically-based cluster cosmology.
  • Physical Description: 33 pages

Subject

  • Keyword: Mixtures Astrophysics
  • Keyword: Cosmology
  • Keyword: Galaxies
  • Keyword: Detection
  • STI Subject Categories: 71 Classical And Quantum Mechanics, General Physics
  • Keyword: Astrophysics
  • Keyword: Galaxy Clusters
  • Keyword: Accuracy

Source

  • Journal Name: Astrophys.J.702:745-758,2009; Journal Volume: 702; Journal Issue: 1

Collection

  • Name: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports
    Code: OSTI

Institution

  • Name: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
    Code: UNTGD

Resource Type

  • Article

Format

  • Text

Identifier

  • Report No.: FERMILAB-PUB-09-339-A
  • Grant Number: AC02-07CH11359
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/702/1/745
  • Office of Scientific & Technical Information Report Number: 964023
  • Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metadc928899
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