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We demonstrate the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect imaging capabilities of the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) by presenting an SZ map of the galaxy cluster RX J1347.5-1145. By combining data from multiple CARMA bands and configurations, we are able to capture the structure of this cluster over a wide range of angular scales, from its bulk properties to its core morphology. We find that roughly 9% of this cluster's thermal energy is associated with sub-arcminute-scale structure imparted by a merger, illustrating the value of high-resolution SZ measurements for pursuing cluster astrophysics and for understanding the scatter in SZ scaling relations. We also find that the cluster's SZ signal is lower in amplitude than suggested by a spherically symmetric model derived from X-ray data, consistent with compression along the line of sight relative to the plane of the sky. Finally, we discuss the impact of upgrades currently in progress that will further enhance CARMA's power as an SZ imaging instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) observations of the three northern unconfirmed galaxy clusters discovered by the Planck satellite. We confirm the existence of two massive clusters (PLCKESZ G115.71+17.52 and PLCKESZ G121.11+57.01) at high significance. For these clusters, we present refined centroid locations from the 31 GHz CARMA data, as well as mass estimates obtained from a joint analysis of CARMA and Planck data. We do not detect the third candidate, PLCKESZ G189.84-37.24, and place an upper limit on its mass of M500 <3.2 x 1014 M⊙ at 68% confidence. Considering our data and the characteristics of the Planck Early Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (ESZ) Catalog, we conclude that this object is likely to be a cold-core object in the plane of our Galaxy. As a result, we estimate the purity of the ESZ Catalog to be greater than 99.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a joint analysis of X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect data using an analytic model that describes the gas properties of galaxy clusters. The joint analysis allows the measurement of the cluster gas mass fraction profile and Hubble constant independent of cosmological parameters. Weak cosmological priors are used to calculate the overdensity radius within which the gas mass fractions are reported. Such an analysis can provide direct constraints on the evolution of the cluster gas mass fraction with redshift. We validate the model and the joint analysis on high signal-to-noise data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array for two clusters, A2631 and A2204. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have measured the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect for a sample of 10 strong lensing selected galaxy clusters using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array (SZA). The SZA is sensitive to structures on spatial scales of a few arcminutes, while the strong lensing mass modeling constrains the mass at small scales (typically <30"). Combining the two provides information about the projected concentrations of the strong lensing clusters. The Einstein radii we measure are twice as large as expected given the masses inferred from SZ scaling relations. A Monte Carlo simulation indicates that a sample randomly drawn from the expected distribution would have a larger median Einstein radius than the observed clusters about 3% of the time. The implied overconcentration has been noted in previous studies and persists for this sample, even when we take into account that we are selecting large Einstein radius systems, suggesting that the theoretical models still do not fully describe the observed properties of strong lensing clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first weak-lensing-based scaling relation between galaxy cluster mass, MWL, and integrated Compton parameter Ysph. Observations of 18 galaxy clusters at z ≃ 0.2 were obtained with the Subaru 8.2 m telescope and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array. The MWL-Ysph scaling relations, measured at Δ = 500, 1000, and 2500 ρc, are consistent in slope and normalization with previous results derived under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium (HSE). We find an intrinsic scatter in MWL at fixed Ysph of 20%, larger than both previous measurements of MHSE-Ysph scatter as well as the scatter in true mass at fixed Ysph found in simulations. Moreover, the scatter in our lensing-based scaling relations is morphology dependent, with 30%-40% larger MWL for undisturbed compared to disturbed clusters at the same Ysph at r 500. Further examination suggests that the segregation may be explained by the inability of our spherical lens models to faithfully describe the three-dimensional structure of the clusters, in particular, the structure along the line of sight. We find that the ellipticity of the brightest cluster galaxy, a proxy for halo orientation, correlates well with the offset in mass from the mean scaling relation, which supports this picture. This provides empirical evidence that line-of-sight projection effects are an important systematic uncertainty in lensing-based scaling relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]