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Cold dark matter (CDM) constitutes most of the matter in the Universe. The interplay between dark and luminous matter in dense cosmic environments, such as galaxy clusters, is studied theoretically using cosmological simulations. Observations of gravitational lensing are used to characterize the properties of substructures—the small-scale distribution of dark matter—in clusters. We derive a metric, the probability of strong lensing events produced by dark-matter substructure, and compute it for 11 galaxy clusters. The observed cluster substructures are more efficient lenses than predicted by CDM simulations, by more than an order of magnitude. We suggest that systematic issues with simulations or incorrect assumptions about the properties of dark matter could explain our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate a recent finding based on strong lensing observations, which suggests that the sub-haloes observed in clusters exhibit greater compactness compared to those predicted by ΛCDM simulations. To address this discrepancy, we compare the cumulative sub-halo mass function and the M sub– V circ relation between observed clusters and 324 simulated clusters from |$\rm \small {The\,Three\,\,Hundred}$| project, focusing on the hydrodynamic resimulations using |$\rm \small {Gadget-X}$| and |$\rm \small {Gizmo-Simba}$| baryonic models. The cumulative sub-halo mass function of |$\rm \small {Gizmo-Simba}$| simulated clusters aligns with observations, while |$\rm \small {Gadget-X}$| simulations exhibit discrepancies in the lower sub-halo mass range, possibly due to its strong supernova feedback. Both |$\rm \small {Gadget-X}$| and |$\rm \small {Gizmo-Simba}$| simulations demonstrate a redshift evolution of the sub-halo mass function and the V circ function, with slightly fewer sub-haloes observed at lower redshifts. Neither the |$\rm \small {Gadget-X}$| nor |$\rm \small {Gizmo-Simba}$| (albeit a little closer) simulated clusters' predictions for the M sub– V circ relation align with the observational result. Further investigations on the correlation between sub-halo/halo properties and the discrepancy in the M sub– V circ relation reveal that the sub-halo's half mass radius and galaxy stellar age, the baryon fraction, and sub-halo distance from the cluster's centre, as well as the halo relaxation state, play important roles on reproducing this relation. Nonetheless, challenges persist in accurately reproducing the observed M sub– V circ relationship within our current hydrodynamic cluster simulation that adheres to the standard ΛCDM cosmology. These challenges may stem from shortcomings in our baryon modelling, numerical intricacies within the simulation, or even potential limitations of the ΛCDM framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Our aim in this paper is to perform a systematic study of the measures of mass and concentration estimated by fitting the convergence profile of a large sample of mock galaxy-cluster-sized lenses, created with the publicly available code moka. We have found that the first main contribution to the bias in mass and in concentration is the halo triaxiality; the second contribution is the presence of substructures within the host halo virial radius. We show that knowledge of the cluster elongation along the line of sight helps when correcting the mass bias, but it still retains a small negative bias for the concentration. If these mass and concentration biases can characterize the galaxy cluster sample of a wide field survey, it will be difficult to recover well within 1σ the cosmological parameters that mainly influence the c- M relation, using as a reference the three-dimensional c- M relation measured in cosmological N-body simulations. In this paper, we propose a method for correcting the c- M relation for projection effects and for adiabatic contraction. We suggest using these as references for real observed data. Correcting the mass and concentration estimates, as we propose, gives a measurement of the cosmological parameter within 1σ confidence contours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Strong gravitational lensing is a powerful tool that can be used to probe the matter distribution in the cores of massive dark matter haloes. Recent and ongoing analyses of galaxy cluster surveys - such as the Massive Cluster Survey (MACS), the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the Sloan Giant Arcs Survey (SGAS), the Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble (CLASH) and the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS) - have addressed the question of the nature of the dark matter distribution in clusters. Using N-body simulations of cold dark matter haloes, it is consistently found that haloes should be characterized by a concentration-mass relation, which decreases monotonically with halo mass, and that they should be populated by a large amount of substructures, representing the cores of accreted progenitor halos. It is important for our understanding of dark matter that we test these predictions. We present moka, a new algorithm for simulating the gravitational lensing signal from cluster-sized haloes. It implements the most recent results from numerical simulations to create realistic cluster-scale lenses with properties independent of numerical resolution. We perform systematic studies of the strong lensing cross-section as a function of halo structures. We find that the strong lensing cross-sections depend most strongly on the concentration and on the inner slope of the density profile of a halo, followed in order of importance by halo triaxiality and the presence of a bright central galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address the question of how well the density profile of galaxy clusters can be determined by combining strong lensing and velocity dispersion data. We use cosmological dark matter simulations of clusters to test the reliability of the method, producing mock catalogues of tangential and radial gravitational arcs and simulating the radial velocity dispersion profile of the cluster brightest central galaxy. The density profiles of the simulated clusters closely follow the Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) form, but we find that the recovered values of the inner slope are systematically underestimated, by about 0.4 in the mean, if the lens is assumed to be axially symmetric. However, if the ellipticity and orientation of the isocontours of the cluster lensing potential are taken into account, then the inner slopes can be recovered quite accurately for a significant subset of the clusters whose central surface density profiles appear the most regular. These have lensing potentials with ellipticities in the range 0.15–0.4. Further simulations projecting one cluster along many random lines of sight show that, even for lower ellipticities, the central slopes are underestimated by ∼10–35 per cent. These simulations closely mimic past observations, suggesting that existing estimates of the central slopes may be biased towards low values. For the remaining clusters, where the lensing potential is strongly perturbed by active merging or by substructure, the correct determination of the inner slope requires a more accurate model for the lens. When the halo profile is modelled by a generalized NFW profile, we find that the inferred scale radius and characteristic density, unlike the inner slope, are generally poorly constrained, since there is a strong degeneracy between these two parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We make an exploratory study of how well dark energy models can be constrained using lensed arcs at different redshifts behind cluster lenses. Arcs trace the critical curves of clusters, and the growth of critical curves with source redshift is sensitive to the dark energy equation of state. Using analytical models and numerically simulated clusters, we explore the key factors involved in using cluster arcs as a probe of dark energy. We quantify the sensitivity to lens mass, concentration and ellipticity with analytical models that include the effects of dark energy on halo structure. We show with simple examples how degeneracies between mass models and cosmography may be broken using arcs at multiple redshifts or additional constraints on the lens density profile. However, we conclude that the requirements on the data are so stringent that it is very unlikely that robust constraints can be obtained from individual clusters. We argue that surveys of clusters, analysed in conjunction with numerical simulations, are a more promising prospect for arc cosmography. We use such numerically simulated clusters to estimate how large a sample of clusters/arcs could provide interesting constraints on dark energy models. We focus on the scatter produced by differences in the mass distribution of individual clusters. We find from our sample of simulated clusters that at least 1000 pairs of arcs are needed to obtain constraints if the mass distribution of individual clusters is taken to be undetermined. We discuss several unsolved problems that need study to develop this method fully for precision studies with future surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We perform a set of ray-tracing simulations, using numerical cluster models, aiming at evaluating how the galaxy cluster efficiency for producing strong lensing events changes in different cosmological models with dark energy. The sample of investigated clusters for which we present our results here is composed by seven dark matter halos. Each of them was simulated in eight different cosmological models with constant and time-variable equation of state of dark energy. For all the clusters in the sample, we have measured the lensing cross-sections for producing giant arcs, i.e., arcs having a minimum length-to-width ratio. We find that the lensing cross-section for giant arcs is sensitive to the equation of state of quintessence. Indeed, the optical depth, which can be translated into a number of arcs by multiplying by the correct density of source galaxy on the sky, spans more than one order of magnitude among different cosmological models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We perform a set of ray-tracing simulations, using numerical cluster models, aiming at evaluating how the galaxy cluster efficiency for producing strong lensing events changes in different cosmological models with dark energy. The sample of investigated clusters for which we present our results here is composed by 7 dark matter halos. Each of them was simulated in 8 different cosmological models with constant and time-variable equation of state of dark energy. For all the clusters in the sample, we have measured the lensing cross sections for producing giant arcs, i.e. arcs having a minimum length-to-width ratio. We find that the lensing cross section for giant arcs is sensitive to the equation of state of quintessence. Indeed, the optical depth, which can be translated into a number of arcs by multiplying by the correct density of source galaxy on the sky, spans more than one order of magnitude among different cosmological models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of merger events on the strong lensing properties of galaxy clusters. Previous lensing simulations were not able to resolve dynamical time-scales of cluster lenses, which arise on time-scales that are of the order of a Gyr. In this case study, we first describe qualitatively with an analytic model how some of the lensing properties of clusters are expected to change during merging events. We then analyse a numerically-simulated lens model for the variation in its efficiency for producing both tangential and radial arcs while a massive substructure falls on to the main cluster body. We find that: Thus, we conclude that accounting for these dynamical processes is very important for arc statistics studies. In particular, they may provide a possible explanation for the arc statistics problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform ray-tracing simulations evaluating the effect of a cD galaxy on the strong lensing properties of five galaxy cluster haloes obtained from N-body simulations. The cD galaxy is modelled using both axially symmetric and elliptical models and assuming several masses for its dark matter halo. The effect of the cD orientation with respect to the mass distribution of the host galaxy cluster is also investigated. The simulations are carried out in an open and a flat model universe with cosmological constant. We find that the enhancement of the cluster lensing cross-sections for long and thin arcs owing to the presence of a massive cD at the cluster centre is typically less than 100 per cent, depending on the model used for the cD galaxy and its orientation. The impact of the cD on the cluster efficiency for producing radially magnified images is larger only for those clusters with a lensing cross-section for radial arcs that is very small in absence of the central galaxy. We conclude that the presence of a cD galaxy at the cluster centre can only moderately influence the cluster efficiency for strong lensing and, in particular, fails to explain the discrepancy between the observed number of giant arcs in galaxy clusters and their abundance predicted from lensing simulations in the currently most favoured ΛCDM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The statistics of gravitationally lensed arcs was recognized earlier as a potentially powerful cosmological probe. However, while fully numerical models find orders of magnitude difference between the arc probabilities in different cosmological models, analytic models tend to find markedly different results. In this paper we introduce an analytic cluster lens model that improves upon existing analytic models in four ways. (i) We use the more realistic Navarro–Frenk–White profile instead of singular isothermal spheres, (ii) we include the effect of cosmology on the compactness of the lenses, (iii) we use elliptical instead of axially symmetric lenses and (iv) we take the intrinsic ellipticity of sources into account. While these improvements to the analytic model lead to a pronounced increase of the arc probability, comparisons with numerical models of the same virial mass demonstrate that the analytic models still fall short by a substantial margin of reproducing the results obtained with numerical models. Using multipole expansions of cluster mass distributions, we show that the remaining discrepancy can be attributed to substructure inside clusters and tidal fields contributed by the cluster surroundings, effects that cannot reasonably and reliably be mimicked in analytic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gravitationally lensed quasar J014516.6-094517 at z  = 2.719 has been observed with the ESPRESSO instrument at the ESO VLT to obtain high-fidelity spectra of the two images A and B with a resolving power R  = 70 000. At the redshifts under investigation (2.1 ≲ z ≲ 2.7), the Lyman forests along the two sightlines are separated by sub-kiloparsec physical distances and exhibit a strong correlation. We find that the two forests are indistinguishable at the present level of signal-to-noise ratio and do not show any global velocity shift, with the cross-correlation peaking at Δ v  = 12 ± 48 |$\rm m~s^{-1}$|⁠. The distribution of the difference in velocity of individual Ly α features is compatible with a null average and a mean absolute deviation of 930 |$\rm m~s^{-1}$|⁠. Significant differences in N H  i column density are not detected, putting a limit to the RMS fluctuation in the baryon density on ≲1 proper kpc scales of Δρ/ρ ≲ 3 per cent. On the other hand, metal lines show significant differences both in velocity structure and in column density. A toy model shows that the difference in velocity of the metal features between the two sightlines is compatible with the motions of the baryonic component associated with dark matter haloes of typical mass M ≃ 2 × 1010 M⊙, also compatible with the observed incidence of the metal systems. The present observations confirm the feasibility of the Sandage test of the cosmic redshift drift with high-fidelity spectroscopy of the Lyman forest of distant, bright quasars, but also provide an element of caution about the intrinsic noise associated with the usage of metal features for the same purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use hydrodynamic cosmological simulations to test the differences between cold and self-interacting dark matter models (CDM and SIDM) in the mass range of massive galaxies (1012 < M 200/M⊙  h −1 < 1013.5). We consider two SIDM models: one with constant cross-section  |$\sigma /m_{\chi } = 1\, \mathrm{cm^2 \, g^{-1}}$| and one where the cross-section is velocity-dependent. Despite a weak trend in mass, we find that with the inclusion of baryons the differences between SIDM and CDM density profiles observed in the dark-matter-only case are almost erased. We also search for signatures of SIDM in the distribution of strong lensing Einstein radii and find that the distributions derived from CDM and SIDM hydro runs are both comparable to observational samples of strong lenses. We find that, looking at the total matter distribution, the interplay between self-interactions and baryons can greatly reduce the expected differences between CDM and SIDM models at this mass scale, making the discrimination between these DM models challenging. However, looking at the dark matter/baryonic fractions in the inner region of the haloes we show that the deviations of SIDM from CDM can still be found considering these components separately. These results highlight that one of the most promising paths to discriminate between CDM and SIDM is to focus on techniques able to distinguish between the dark matter and baryonic components in galaxies and clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a new, multizone chemical evolution model of the DustPedia galaxy M74, calibrated by means of Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. We take into account the observed stellar and gas density profiles and use Bayesian analysis to constrain two fundamental parameters characterizing the gas accretion and star formation time-scale, i.e. the infall time-scale τ and the SF efficiency ν, respectively, as a function of galactocentric radius R. Our analysis supports an infall time-scale increasing with R and a star formation efficiency decreasing with R , thus supporting an 'Inside-Out' formation for M74. For both τ and ν, we find a weaker radial dependence than in the Milky Way. We also investigate the dust content of M74, comparing the observed dust density profile with the results of our chemical evolution models. Various prescriptions have been considered for two key parameters, i.e. the typical dust accretion time-scale τ0 and the mass of gas cleared out of dust by a supernova remnant, M clear, regulating the dust growth and destruction rate, respectively. Two models with a different current balance between destruction and accretion, i.e. with an equilibrium and a dominion of accretion over destruction, can equally reproduce the observed dust profile of M74. This outlines the degeneracy between these parameters in shaping the interstellar dust content in galaxies. Our methods will be extended to more DustPedia galaxies to shed more light on the relative roles of dust production and destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full ray-tracing maps of gravitational lensing, constructed from N-body simulations, represent a fundamental tool to interpret present and future weak-lensing data. However, the limitation of computational resources and storage capabilities severely restricts the number of realizations that can be performed in order to accurately sample both the cosmic shear models and covariance matrices. In this paper, we present a halo model formalism for weak gravitational lensing that alleviates these issues by producing weak-lensing mocks at a reduced computational cost. Our model takes as input the halo population within a desired light cone and the linear power spectrum of the underlined cosmological model. We examine the contribution given by the presence of substructures within haloes to the cosmic shear power spectrum and quantify it to the percent level. Our method allows us to reconstruct high-resolution convergence maps, for any desired source redshifts, of light cones that realistically trace the matter density distribution in the universe, account for masked area and sample selections.We compare our analysis on the same large-scale structures constructed using ray-tracing techniques and find very good agreements in both the linear and non-linear regimes up to fewpercent levels. The accuracy and speed of our method demonstrate the potential of our halo model for weak-lensing statistics and the possibility to generate a large sample of convergence maps for different cosmological models as needed for the analysis of large galaxy redshift surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of the accelerated expansion of the Universe has been one of the major breakthroughs in modern cosmology. Several cosmological probes (Cosmic Microwave Background, Supernovae Type Ia, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations) have been studied in depth to better understand the nature of the mechanism driving this acceleration, and they are being currently pushed to their limits, obtaining remarkable constraints that allowed us to shape the standard cosmological model. In parallel to that, however, the percent precision achieved has recently revealed apparent tensions between measurements obtained from different methods. These are either indicating some unaccounted systematic effects, or are pointing toward new physics. Following the development of CMB, SNe, and BAO cosmology, it is critical to extend our selection of cosmological probes. Novel probes can be exploited to validate results, control or mitigate systematic effects, and, most importantly, to increase the accuracy and robustness of our results. This review is meant to provide a state-of-art benchmark of the latest advances in emerging "beyond-standard" cosmological probes. We present how several different methods can become a key resource for observational cosmology. In particular, we review cosmic chronometers, quasars, gamma-ray bursts, standard sirens, lensing time-delay with galaxies and clusters, cosmic voids, neutral hydrogen intensity mapping, surface brightness fluctuations, stellar ages of the oldest objects, secular redshift drift, and clustering of standard candles. The review describes the method, systematics, and results of each probe in a homogeneous way, giving the reader a clear picture of the available innovative methods that have been introduced in recent years and how to apply them. The review also discusses the potential synergies and complementarities between the various probes, exploring how they will contribute to the future of modern cosmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the strong-lensing cluster Abell 370 (A370) using a wide Integral Field Unit (IFU) spectroscopic mosaic from the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). IFU spectroscopy provides significant insight into the structure and mass content of galaxy clusters, yet IFU-based cluster studies focus almost exclusively on the central Einstein-radius region. Covering over 14 arcmin2, the new MUSE mosaic extends significantly beyond the A370 Einstein radius, providing, for the first time, a detailed look at the cluster outskirts. Combining these data with wide-field, multi-band Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging from the BUFFALO project, we analyse the distribution of objects within the cluster and along the line of sight. Identifying 416 cluster galaxies, we use kinematics to trace the radial mass profile of the halo, providing a mass estimate independent from the lens model. We also measure radially averaged properties of the cluster members, tracking their evolution as a function of infall. Thanks to the high spatial resolution of our data, we identify six cluster members acting as galaxy–galaxy lenses, which constrain localized mass distributions beyond the Einstein radius. Finally, taking advantage of MUSE's 3D capabilities, we detect and analyse multiple spatially extended overdensities outside of the cluster that influence lensing-derived halo mass estimates. We stress that much of this work is only possible thanks to the robust, extended IFU coverage, highlighting its importance even in less optically dense cluster regions. Overall, this work showcases the power of combining HST  + MUSE, and serves as the initial step towards a larger and wider program targeting several clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the Local Volume Complete Cluster Survey (LoVoCCS; we pronounce it as “low-vox” or “law-vox,” with stress on the second syllable), an NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory survey program that uses the Dark Energy Camera to map the dark matter distribution and galaxy population in 107 nearby (0.03 < z < 0.12) X-ray luminous ([0.1â€"2.4 keV] L X500 > 1044 erg sâˆ'1) galaxy clusters that are not obscured by the Milky Way. The survey will reach Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Year 1â€"2 depth (for galaxies r = 24.5, i = 24.0, signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) > 20; u = 24.7, g = 25.3, z = 23.8, S/N > 10) and conclude in ∼2023 (coincident with the beginning of LSST science operations), and will serve as a zeroth-year template for LSST transient studies. We process the data using the LSST Science Pipelines that include state-of-the-art algorithms and analyze the results using our own pipelines, and therefore the catalogs and analysis tools will be compatible with the LSST. We demonstrate the use and performance of our pipeline using three X-ray luminous and observation-time complete LoVoCCS clusters: A3911, A3921, and A85. A3911 and A3921 have not been well studied previously by weak lensing, and we obtain similar lensing analysis results for A85 to previous studies. (We mainly use A3911 to show our pipeline and give more examples in the Appendix.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The next generation of large sky photometric surveys will finally be able to use arc statistics as a cosmological probe. Here, we present the first of a series of papers on this topic. In particular, we study how arc counts are sensitive to the variation of two cosmological parameters: the (total) matter density parameter, Ωm, and the normalization of the primordial power spectrum, expressed in terms of σ8. Both these parameters influence the abundances of collapsed structures and their internal structure. We compute the expected number of gravitational arcs with various length-to-width ratios in mock light cones, by varying these cosmological parameters in the ranges 0.1 ≤ Ωm ≤ 0.5 and 0.6 ≤ σ8 ≤ 1. We find that the arc counts dependence on Ωm and σ8 is similar, but not identical, to that of the halo counts. We investigate how the precision of the constraints on the cosmological parameters based on arc counts depend on the survey area. We find that the constraining power of arc statistics degrades critically only for surveys covering an area smaller than 10 per cent of the whole sky. Finally, we consider the case in which the search for arcs is done only in frames where galaxy clusters have been previously identified. Adopting the selection function for galaxy clusters expected to be detected from photometric data in future wide surveys, we find that less than 10 per cent of the arcs will be missed, with only a small degradation of the corresponding cosmological constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxy clusters have a triaxial matter distribution. The weak-lensing signal, an important part in cosmological studies, measures the projected mass of all matter along the line of sight, and therefore changes with the orientation of the cluster. Studies suggest that the shape of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the centre of the cluster traces the underlying halo shape, enabling a method to account for projection effects. We use 324 simulated clusters at four redshifts between 0.1 and 0.6 from 'The Three Hundred Project' to quantify correlations between the orientation and shape of the BCG and the halo. We find that haloes and their embedded BCGs are aligned, with an average ∼20 degree angle between their major axes. The bias in weak lensing cluster mass estimates correlates with the orientation of both the halo and the BCG. Mimicking observations, we compute the projected shape of the BCG, as a measure of the BCG orientation, and find that it is most strongly correlated to the weak-lensing mass for relaxed clusters. We also test a 2D cluster relaxation proxy measured from BCG mass isocontours. The concentration of stellar mass in the projected BCG core compared to the total stellar mass provides an alternative proxy for the BCG orientation. We find that the concentration does not correlate to the weak-lensing mass bias, but does correlate with the true halo mass. These results indicate that the BCG shape and orientation for large samples of relaxed clusters can provide information to improve weak-lensing mass estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comparison of the nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio (N/O) in 37 high-redshift galaxies at z ∼ 2 taken from the KMOS Lensed Emission Lines and VElocity Review (KLEVER) Survey with a comparison sample of local galaxies, taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The KLEVER sample shows only a mild enrichment in N/O of +0.1 dex when compared to local galaxies at a given gas-phase metallicity (O/H), but shows a depletion in N/O of −0.35 dex when compared at a fixed stellar mass (M *). We find a strong anticorrelation in local galaxies between N/O and SFR in the M *–N/O plane, similar to the anticorrelation between O/H and SFR found in the mass–metallicity relation (MZR). We use this anticorrelation to construct a fundamental nitrogen relation (FNR), analogous to the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR). We find that KLEVER galaxies are consistent with both the FMR and the FNR. This suggests that the depletion of N/O in high- z galaxies when considered at a fixed M * is driven by the redshift evolution of the mass–metallicity relation in combination with a near redshift-invariant N/O–O/H relation. Furthermore, the existence of an fundamental nitrogen relation suggests that the mechanisms governing the fundamental metallicity relation must be probed by not only O/H, but also N/O, suggesting pure-pristine gas inflows are not the primary driver of the FMR, and other properties such as variations in galaxy age and star formation efficiency must be important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a systematic study of the recently discovered Fundamental Plane of galaxy clusters (CFP) using ∼250 simulated clusters from The Three Hundred project, focusing on the stability of the plane against different temperature definitions and its dependence on the dynamical relaxation state of clusters. The CFP is characterized by |$T\propto M_\mathrm{s}^\alpha \, r_\mathrm{s}^\beta$|⁠ , defined with the gas temperature (T) and the characteristic halo scale radius and mass (r s and M s) assuming a Navarro–Frenk–White halo description. We explore two definitions of weighted temperatures, namely mass-weighted and spectroscopic-like temperatures, in three radial ranges. The Three Hundred project clusters at z  = 0 lie on a thin plane whose parameters (α, β) and dispersion (0.015–0.030 dex) depend on the gas temperature definition. The CFP for mass-weighted temperatures is closer to the virial equilibrium expectation (α = 1, β = −1) with a smaller dispersion. For gas temperatures measured within |$500\ h^{-1}$|  kpc, the resulting CFP deviates the most from the virial expectation and shifts towards the similarity solution for a secondary infall model (α = 1.5, β = −2). Independently of the temperature definition, we find that clusters at z  = 1 and relaxed clusters form a CFP similar to the virial expectation, unlike disturbed clusters exhibiting stronger evolution. Only systems formed over the last 4 Gyr present a CFP that is closer to the similarity solution. All these findings are compatible with the CFP obtained for a Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble subsample excluding the hottest clusters with T X > 12 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a method for reconstructing the two-dimensional, projected gravitational potential of galaxy clusters from observed line-of-sight velocity dispersions of cluster galaxies. It is the second in an intended series of papers aiming at a unique reconstruction method for cluster potentials that combine lensing, X-ray, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich and kinematic data. The observed galaxy velocity dispersions are deprojected using the Richardson-Lucy algorithm. The obtained radial velocity dispersions are then related to the gravitational potential by using the tested assumption of a polytropic relation between the effective galaxy pressure and the density. Once the gravitational potential is obtained in three dimensions, projection along the line of sight yields the two-dimensional potential. For simplicity we adopt spherical symmetry and a known profile for the anisotropy parameter of the galaxy velocity dispersions. We tested the method with a numerically simulated galaxy cluster and the galaxies identified therein and performed the reconstruction for three different lines of sight. We extracted a projected velocity-dispersion profile from the simulated cluster and passed it through our algorithm, showing that the deviation between the true and the reconstructed gravitational potential is ≲ 10% within ≈1:5 h-1 Mpc from the cluster centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core structure of galaxy clusters is fundamentally important. Even though self-gravitating systems have no stable equilibrium state due to their negative heat capacity, numerical simulations find density profiles which are universal in the sense that they are fairly flat within a scale radius and gradually steepen farther outward, asymptotically approaching a logarithmic slope of ≈−3 near the virial radius. We argue that the reason for the formation of this profile is not satisfactorily understood. The ratio between the virial radius and the scale radius, the so-called concentration, is found in simulations to be closely related to the mass and the redshift and low for cluster-sized haloes, but observed to be substantially higher at least in a subset of observed clusters. Haloes formed from cold dark matter should furthermore be richly substructured. We review theoretical and observational aspects of cluster cores here, discuss modifications by baryonic physics and observables that can provide better insight into the internal structure of clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this paper, we estimate the number of gravitational arcs detectable in a wide-field survey such as that which will be operated by the Euclid space mission, assuming a Λ cold dark matter cosmology. We use the publicly available code moka to obtain realistic deflection angle maps of mock gravitational lenses. The maps are processed by a ray-tracing code to estimate the strong lensing cross-sections of each lens. Our procedure involves (1) the generation of a light-cone which is populated with lenses drawn from a theoretical mass function, (2) the modelling of each single lens using a triaxial halo with a Navarro-Frenk-White density profile and theoretical concentration-mass relation, including substructures, (3) the determination of the lensing cross-section as a function of redshift for each lens in the light-cone and (4) the simulation of mock observations to characterize the redshift distribution of sources that will be detectable in the Euclid images. We focus on the so-called giant arcs, i.e. gravitational arcs characterized by large length-to-width ratios ( l/ w > 5, 7.5 and 10). We quantify the arc detectability at different significances above the level of the background. Performing 128 different realizations of a 15 000 deg2 survey, we find that the number of arcs detectable at 1σ above the local background will be [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on ALMA observations of D1, a system at z ∼ 6.15 with stellar mass |$M_{*} \sim 10^7 \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$| containing globular cluster (GC) precursors, strongly magnified by the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403. Since the discovery of GC progenitors at high redshift, ours is the first attempt to probe directly the physical properties of their neutral gas through infrared observations. A careful analysis of our data set, performed with a suitable procedure designed to identify faint narrow lines and which can test various possible values for the unknown linewidth value, allowed us to identify a 4 σ tentative detection of [C  ii ] emission with intrinsic luminosity |$L_{\rm [C\, \rm {\small II}]}=(2.9 \pm 1.4)~10^6 \, {\it L}_{\odot }$|⁠ , one of the lowest values ever detected at high redshift. This study offers a first insight on previously uncharted regions of the |$L_{\rm [C\, \rm {\small II}]}{-}{\rm SFR}$| relation. Despite large uncertainties affecting our measure of the star formation rate, if taken at face value our estimate lies more than ∼1 dex below the values observed in local and high redshift systems. Our weak detection indicates a deficiency of [C  ii ] emission, possibly ascribed to various explanations, such as a low-density gas and/or a strong radiation field caused by intense stellar feedback, and a low metal content. From the non-detection in the continuum, we derive constraints on the dust mass, with 3 σ upper limit values as low as ∼ a few 104 M⊙, consistent with the values measured in local metal-poor galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of simulated convergence maps is of key importance in fully exploiting weak lensing by large-scale structure (LSS) from which cosmological parameters can be derived. In this paper, we present an extension of the pinocchio code that produces catalogues of dark matter haloes so that it is capable of simulating weak lensing by Modify LSS into Large Scale Structures (LSS). Like wl-moka , the method starts with a random realization of cosmological initial conditions, creates a halo catalogue and projects it on to the past light-cone, and paints in haloes assuming parametric models for the mass density distribution within them. Large-scale modes that are not accounted for by the haloes are constructed using linear theory. We discuss the systematic errors affecting the convergence power spectra when Lagrangian perturbation theory at increasing order is used to displace the haloes within pinocchio , and how they depend on the grid resolution. Our approximate method is shown to be very fast when compared to full ray-tracing simulations from an N -body run and able to recover the weak lensing signal, at different redshifts, with a few percent accuracy. It also allows for quickly constructing weak lensing covariance matrices, complementing pinocchio 's ability of generating the cluster mass function and galaxy clustering covariances and thus paving the way for calculating cross-covariances between the different probes. This work advances these approximate methods as tools for simulating and analysing survey data for cosmological purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present near-infrared observations of 42 gravitationally lensed galaxies obtained in the framework of the KMOS Lensed Emission Lines and VElocity Review (KLEVER) Survey, a programme aimed at investigating the spatially resolved properties of the ionized gas in 1.2 < z < 2.5 galaxies by means of a full coverage of the YJ, H , and K near-infrared bands. Detailed metallicity maps and gradients are derived for a subsample of 28 galaxies from reconstructed source-plane emission-line maps, exploiting the variety of different emission-line diagnostics provided by the broad wavelength coverage of the survey. About |$85 {{\, per\ cent}}$| of these galaxies are characterized by metallicity gradients shallower than |$0.05\ \rm dex\, kpc^{-1}$| and |$89{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| are consistent with a flat slope within 3σ (⁠|$67{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| within 1σ), suggesting a mild evolution with cosmic time. In the context of cosmological simulations and chemical evolution models, the presence of efficient feedback mechanisms and/or extended star formation profiles on top of the classical 'inside-out' scenario of mass assembly is generally required to reproduce the observed flatness of the metallicity gradients beyond z  ∼ 1. Three galaxies with significantly (>3σ) 'inverted' gradients are also found, showing an anticorrelation between metallicity and star formation rate density on local scales, possibly suggesting recent episodes of pristine gas accretion or strong radial flows in place. Nevertheless, the individual metallicity maps are characterized by a variety of different morphologies, with flat radial gradients sometimes hiding non-axisymmetric variations on kpc scales, which are washed out by azimuthal averages, especially in interacting systems or in those undergoing local episodes of recent star formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We map the lensing-inferred substructure in the first three clusters observed by the Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields (HSTFF) Initiative: Abell 2744 (z = 0.308), MACSJ 0416, (z = 0.396) and MACSJ 1149 (z = 0.543). Statistically resolving dark matter subhaloes down to ∼109.5M⊙, we compare the derived subhalo mass functions (SHMFs) to theoretical predictions from analytical models and with numerical simulations in a Lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) cosmology. Mimicking our observational cluster member selection criteria in the HSTFF, we report excellent agreement in both amplitude and shape of the SHMF over four decades in subhalo mass (109-13M⊙). Projection effects do not appear to introduce significant errors in the determination of SHMFs from simulations. We do not find evidence for a substructure crisis, analogous to the missing satellite problem in the Local Group, on cluster scales, but rather excellent agreement of the count-matched HSTFF SHMF down to Msubhalo/Mhalo ∼ 10-5. However, we do find discrepancies in the radial distribution of subhaloes inferred from HSTFF cluster lenses compared to determinations from simulated clusters. This suggests that although the selected simulated clusters match the HSTFF sample in mass, they do not adequately capture the dynamical properties and complex merging morphologies of these observed cluster lenses. Therefore, HSTFF clusters are likely observed in a transient evolutionary stage that is presently insufficiently sampled in cosmological simulations. The abundance and mass function of dark matter substructure in cluster lenses continues to offer an important test of the LCDM paradigm, and at present we find no tension between model predictions and observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the strong lensing statistics in galaxyclusters. We extract dark matter haloes from the Millennium-XXL simulation, compute their Einstein radius distribution, and find a very good agreement with Monte Carlo predictions produced with the MOKA code. The distribution of the Einstein radii is well described by a lognormal distribution, with a considerable fraction of the largest systems boosted by different projection effects. We discuss the importance of substructures and triaxiality in shaping the size of the critical lines for cluster size haloes. We then model and interpret the different deviations, accounting for the presence of a Brightest Central Galaxy (BCG) and two different stellar mass density profiles. We present scaling relations between weak lensing quantities and the size of the Einstein radii. Finally, we discuss how sensible is the distribution of the Einstein radii on the cosmological parameters ΩM - σ8 finding that cosmologies with higher ΩM and σ8 possess a large sample of strong lensing clusters. The Einstein radius distribution may help distinguish Planck13 and WMAP7 cosmology at 3σ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform multiplane ray tracing using the GLAMER gravitational lensing code within highresolution light-cones extracted from the CoDECS simulations: a suite of cosmological runs featuring a coupling between dark energy and cold dark matter (CDM). We show that the presence of the coupling is evident not only in the redshift evolution of the normalization of the convergence power spectrum, but also in differences in non-linear structure formation with respect to ACDM. Using a tomographic approach under the assumption of a ACDM cosmology, we demonstrate that weak lensing measurements would result in a a 8 value that changes with the source redshift if the true underlying cosmology is a coupled dark energy (cDE) one. This provides a generic null test for these types of models. We also find that different models of cDE can show either an enhanced or a suppressed correlation between convergence maps with differing source redshifts as compared to ACDM. This would provide a direct way to discriminate between different possible realizations of the cDE scenario. Finally, we discuss the impact of the coupling on several lensing observables for different source redshifts and angular scales with realistic source redshift distributions for current ground-based and future space-based lensing surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The galaxy cluster MACS J0717.5+3745 (z = 0.55) is the largest known cosmic lens, with complex internal structures seen in deep X-ray, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, and dynamical observations. We perform a combined weak- and strong-lensing analysis with wide-field BVRci′z′ Subaru/Suprime-Cam observations and 16-band Hubble Space Telescope observations taken as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble. We find consistent weak distortion and magnification measurements of background galaxies and combine these signals to construct an optimally estimated radial mass profile of the cluster and its surrounding large-scale structure out to 5 Mpc h–1. We find consistency between strong-lensing and weak-lensing in the region where these independent data overlap, <500 kpc h–1. The two-dimensional weak-lensing map reveals a clear filamentary structure traced by distinct mass halos. We model the lensing shear field with nine halos, including the main cluster, corresponding to mass peaks detected above 2.5σκ. The total mass of the cluster as determined by the different methods is Mvir ≈ (2.8 ± 0.4) × 1015M☼. Although this is the most massive cluster known at z > 0.5, in terms of extreme value statistics, we conclude that the mass of MACS J0717.5+3745 by itself is not in serious tension with ΛCDM, representing only a ∼2σ departure above the maximum simulated halo mass at this redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a new observational test for a key prediction of the ΛCDM cosmological model: the contributions of mergers with different halo-to-main-cluster mass ratios to cluster-sized halo growth. We perform this test by dynamically analyzing 7 galaxy clusters, spanning the redshift range 0.13 < zc < 0.45 and caustic mass range 0.4-1.5 M☼, with an average of 293 spectroscopically confirmed bound galaxies to each cluster. The large radial coverage (a few virial radii), which covers the whole infall region, with a high number of spectroscopically identified galaxies enables this new study. For each cluster, we identify bound galaxies. Out of these galaxies, we identify infalling and accreted halos and estimate their masses and their dynamical states. Using the estimated masses, we derive the contribution of different mass ratios to cluster-sized halo growth. For mass ratios between ∼0.2 and ∼0.7, we find a ∼1σ agreement with ΛCDM expectations based on the Millennium simulations I and II. At low mass ratios, ≲ 0.2, our derived contribution is underestimated since the detection efficiency decreases at low masses, ∼2 × 1014M☼. At large mass ratios, ≳ 0.7, we do not detect halos probably because our sample, which was chosen to be quite X-ray relaxed, is biased against large mass ratios. Therefore, at large mass ratios, the derived contribution is also underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite consistent progress in numerical simulations, the observable properties of galaxy clusters are difficult to predict ab initio. It is therefore important to compare both theoretical and observational results to a direct measure of the cluster mass. This can be done by measuring the gravitational lensing effects caused by the bending of light by the cluster mass distribution. In this review we discuss how this phenomenon can be used to determine cluster masses and study the mass distribution itself. As sample sizes increase, the accuracy of the weak lensing mass estimates needs to improve accordingly. We discuss the main practical aspects of these measurements. We review a number of applications and highlight some recent results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While clusters of galaxies are considered one of the most important cosmological probes, the standard spherical modelling of the dark matter and the intracluster medium is only a rough approximation. Indeed, it is well established both theoretically and observationally that galaxy clusters are much better approximated as triaxial objects. However, investigating the asphericity of galaxy clusters is still in its infancy. We review here this topic which is currently gathering a growing interest from the cluster community. We begin by introducing the triaxial geometry. Then we discuss the topic of deprojection and demonstrate the need for combining different probes of the cluster's potential. We discuss the different works that have been addressing these issues. We present a general parametric framework intended to simultaneously fit complementary data sets (X-ray, Sunyaev Zel'dovich and lensing data). We discuss in details the case of Abell 1689 to show how different models/data sets lead to different haloe parameters. We present the results obtained from fitting a 3D NFW model to X-ray, SZ, and lensing data for 4 strong lensing clusters. We argue that a triaxial model generally allows to lower the inferred value of the concentration parameter compared to a spherical analysis. This may alleviate tensions regarding, e.g. the over-concentration problem. However, we stress that predictions from numerical simulations rely on a spherical analysis of triaxial halos. Given that triaxial analysis will have a growing importance in the observational side, we advocate the need for simulations to be analysed in the very same way, allowing reliable and meaningful comparisons. Besides, methods intended to derive the three dimensional shape of galaxy clusters should be extensively tested on simulated multi-wavelength observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first half of this paper explores the origin of systematic biases in the measurement of weak gravitational lensing. Compared to previous work, we expand the investigation of point spread function instability and fold in for the first time the effects of non-idealities in electronic imaging detectors and imperfect galaxy shape measurement algorithms. Together, these now explain the additive ${\cal A}(\ell )$ and multiplicative ${\cal M}(\ell )$ systematics typically reported in current lensing measurements. We find that overall performance is driven by a product of a telescope/camera's absolute performance, and our knowledge about its performance.The second half of this paper propagates any residual shear measurement biases through to their effect on cosmological parameter constraints. Fully exploiting the statistical power of Stage IV weak lensing surveys will require additive biases $\overline{{\cal A}}\lesssim 1.8\times 10^{-12}$ and multiplicative biases $\overline{{\cal M}}\lesssim 4.0\times 10^{-3}$. These can be allocated between individual budgets in hardware, calibration data and software, using results from the first half of the paper.If instrumentation is stable and well calibrated, we find extant shear measurement software from Gravitational Lensing Accuracy Testing 2010 (GREAT10) already meet requirements on galaxies detected at signal-to-noise ratio = 40. Averaging over a population of galaxies with a realistic distribution of sizes, it also meets requirements for a 2D cosmic shear analysis from space. If used on fainter galaxies or for 3D cosmic shear tomography, existing algorithms would need calibration on simulations to avoid introducing bias at a level similar to the statistical error. Requirements on hardware and calibration data are discussed in more detail in a companion paper. Our analysis is intentionally general, but is specifically being used to drive the hardware and ground segment performance budget for the design of the European Space Agency's recently selected Euclid mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We show the effectiveness of strong lensing in the characterization of Lyman continuum emission from faint L≲ 0.1 L* star-forming galaxies at redshift ≳3. Past observations of L≳ L* galaxies at redshift ≳3 have provided upper limits of the average escape fraction of ionizing radiation of fesc∼ 5 per cent. Galaxies with relatively high fesc (>10 per cent) seem to be particularly rare at these luminosities; there is therefore the need to explore fainter limits. Before the advent of giant ground-based telescopes, one viable way to probe fesc down to 0.05-0.15 L* was to exploit strong lensing magnification. This is investigated with Monte Carlo simulations that take into account the current observational capabilities. Adopting a lensing cross-section of 10 arcmin2 within which the magnification is higher than 1 (achievable with about four to five galaxy clusters), with a U-band survey depth of 30 (30.5) ( AB, 1σ), it is possible to constrain fesc for z≃ 3 star-forming galaxies down to 15 (10) per cent at 3σ for L < 0.15 L* luminosities. This is particularly interesting if fesc increases at fainter luminosities, as predicted from various H i reionization scenarios and radiation transfer modelling. Ongoing observational programmes on galaxy clusters are discussed and positive prospects for the future are offered, even though from space the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST)/Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument represents the only option we have to investigate details of the spatial distribution of the Lyman continuum emission arising from z∼ 2-4 galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High resolution, numerical simulations of 17 cluster-sized dark-matter haloes in eight different cosmologies with and without dynamical dark-energy confirm the picture that core halo densities are imprinted early during their formation by the mean cosmological density. Quite independent of cosmology, halo concentrations have a log-normal distribution with a scatter of ∼0.2 about the mean. We propose a simple scaling relation for halo concentrations in dark-energy cosmologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present results from a comprehensive lensing analysis in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data of the complete Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble cluster sample. We identify previously undiscovered multiple images, allowing improved or first constraints on the cluster inner mass distributions and profiles. We combine these strong lensing constraints with weak lensing shape measurements within the HST field of view (FOV) to jointly constrain the mass distributions. The analysis is performed in two different common parameterizations (one adopts light-traces-mass for both galaxies and dark matter while the other adopts an analytical, elliptical Navarro-Frenk-White form for the dark matter) to provide a better assessment of the underlying systematics—which is most important for deep, cluster-lensing surveys, especially when studying magnified high-redshift objects. We find that the typical (median), relative systematic differences throughout the central FOV are ∼40% in the (dimensionless) mass density, κ, and ∼20% in the magnification, μ. We show maps of these differences for each cluster, as well as the mass distributions, critical curves, and two-dimensional (2D)-integrated mass profiles. For the Einstein radii (zs = 2) we find that all typically agree within 10% between the two models, and Einstein masses agree, typically, within ∼15%. At larger radii, the total projected, 2D-integrated mass profiles of the two models, within r ∼ 2′, differ by ∼30%. Stacking the surface-density profiles of the sample from the two methods together, we obtain an average slope of dlog (Σ)/dlog (r) ∼ –0.64 ± 0.1, in the radial range [5350] kpc. Last, we also characterize the behavior of the average magnification, surface density, and shear differences between the two models as a function of both the radius from the center and the best-fit values of these quantities. All mass models and magnification maps are made publicly available for the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a joint shear-and-magnification weak-lensing analysis of a sample of 16 X-ray-regular and 4 high-magnification galaxy clusters at 0.19 ≲ z ≲ 0.69 selected from the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). Our analysis uses wide-field multi-color imaging, taken primarily with Suprime-Cam on the Subaru Telescope. From a stacked-shear-only analysis of the X-ray-selected subsample, we detect the ensemble-averaged lensing signal with a total signal-to-noise ratio of ≃ 25 in the radial range of 200-3500 kpc h–1, providing integrated constraints on the halo profile shape and concentration-mass relation. The stacked tangential-shear signal is well described by a family of standard density profiles predicted for dark-matter-dominated halos in gravitational equilibrium, namely, the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW), truncated variants of NFW, and Einasto models. For the NFW model, we measure a mean concentration of at an effective halo mass of . We show that this is in excellent agreement with Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) predictions when the CLASH X-ray selection function and projection effects are taken into account. The best-fit Einasto shape parameter is , which is consistent with the NFW-equivalent Einasto parameter of ∼0.18. We reconstruct projected mass density profiles of all CLASH clusters from a joint likelihood analysis of shear-and-magnification data and measure cluster masses at several characteristic radii assuming an NFW density profile. We also derive an ensemble-averaged total projected mass profile of the X-ray-selected subsample by stacking their individual mass profiles. The stacked total mass profile, constrained by the shear+magnification data, is shown to be consistent with our shear-based halo-model predictions, including the effects of surrounding large-scale structure as a two-halo term, establishing further consistency in the context of the ΛCDM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]