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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]

ABSTRACT Extensive surveys of galaxy clusters motivate us to assess the likelihood of cluster-cluster lensing (CCL), namely, gravitational lensing of a background cluster by a foreground cluster. We briefly describe the characteristics of CCLs in optical, X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect measurements, and calculate their predicted numbers for Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) parameters and a viable range of cluster mass functions and their uncertainties. The predicted number of CCLs in the strong-lensing regime varies from several (<10) to as high as a few dozen, depending mainly on whether lensing triaxiality bias is accounted for, through the c- M relation. A much larger number is predicted when taking into account also CCL in the weak-lensing regime. In addition to few previously suggested CCLs, we report a detection of a possible CCL in A383, where background candidate high- z structures are magnified, as seen in deep Subaru observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We outline our methods for obtaining high-precision mass profiles, combining independent weak-lensing distortion, magnification, and strong-lensing measurements. For massive clusters, the strong- and weak-lensing regimes contribute equal logarithmic coverage of the radial profile. The utility of high-quality data is limited by the cosmic noise from large-scale structure along the line of sight. This noise is overcome when stacking clusters, as too are the effects of cluster asphericity and substructure, permitting a stringent test of theoretical models. We derive a mean radial mass profile of four similar mass clusters of high-quality Hubble Space Telescope and Subaru images, in the range R = 40-2800 kpc h-1, where the inner radial boundary is sufficiently large to avoid smoothing from miscentering effects. The stacked mass profile is detected at 58σ significance over the entire radial range, with the contribution from the cosmic noise included. We show that the projected mass profile has a continuously steepening gradient out to beyond the virial radius, in remarkably good agreement with the standard Navarro-Frenk-White form predicted for the family of cold dark matter (CDM) dominated halos in gravitational equilibrium. The central slope is constrained to lie in the range, Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed. The mean concentration is Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed (at Due to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed), which is high for relaxed, high-mass clusters, but consistent with ACDM when a sizable projection bias estimated from N-body simulations is considered. This possible tension will be more definitively explored with new cluster surveys, such as CLASH, LoCuSS, Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam, and XXM-XXL, to construct the cvir-Mvir relation over a wider mass range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inner mass profile of the relaxed cluster Abell 1703 is analysed by two very different strong-lensing techniques applied to the deep Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Channel 3 imaging. Our parametric method has the accuracy required to reproduce many sets of multiple images, based on the assumption that mass approximately traces light. We test this assumption with a fully non-parametric, adaptive grid method, with no knowledge of the galaxy distribution. Differences between the methods are seen on fine scales due to member galaxies which must be included in models designed to search for lensed images, but on the larger scale the general distribution of dark matter is in good agreement, with very similar radial mass profiles. We add undiluted weak-lensing measurements from deep multicolour Subaru imaging to obtain a fully model-independent mass profile out to the virial radius and beyond. Consistency is found in the region of overlap between the weak and strong lensing, and the full mass profile is well described by a Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) model of a concentration parameter, (and ). Abell 1703 lies above the standard c- M relation predicted for the standard Λ cold dark matter model, similar to other massive relaxed clusters with accurately determined lensing-based profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weak lensing work can be badly compromised by unlensed foreground and cluster members which dilute the true lensing signal. We show how the lensing amplitude in multicolour space can be harnessed to securely separate cluster members from the foreground and background populations for three massive clusters, A1703 ( z= 0.258), A370 ( z= 0.375) and RXJ1347−11 ( z= 0.451) imaged with Subaru. The luminosity functions of these clusters when corrected for dilution show similar faint-end slopes, α≃− 1.0, with no marked faint-end upturn to our limit of MR≃− 15.0, and only a mild radial gradient. In each case, the radial profile of the mass-to-light ratio ( M/ L) peaks at intermediate radius, ≃ 0.2 rvir, at a level of 300–500( M/ LR)⊙, and then falls steadily towards ∼ 100( M/ LR)⊙ at the virial radius, similar to the mean field level. This behaviour is likely due to the relative paucity of central late-type galaxies, whereas for the E/S0 sequence only a mild radial decline in M/ L is found for each cluster. We discuss this behaviour in the context of detailed simulations where predictions for tidal stripping may now be tested accurately with observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an improved strong-lensing analysis of Cl0024+1654 using deep Hubble Space Telescope ( HST)/Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)/NIC3 images, based on 33 multiply-lensed images of 11 background galaxies. These are found with a model that assumes mass approximately traces light, with a low-order expansion to allow for flexibility on large scales. The model is constrained initially by the well-known five-image system and refined as new multiply-lensed systems are identified using the model. Photometric redshifts of these new systems are then used to constrain better the mass profile by adopting the standard cosmological relation between redshift and lensing distance. Our model requires only six free parameters to describe well all positional and redshift data. The resulting inner mass profile has a slope of , consistent with new weak-lensing measurements where the data overlap, at . The combined profile is well fitted by a high-concentration Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) mass profile, , similar to other well-studied clusters, but larger than predicted with standard Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM). A well-defined radial critical curve is generated by the model and is clearly observed at arcsec, outlined by elongated images pointing towards the centre of mass. The relative fluxes of the multiply-lensed images are found to agree well with the modelled magnifications, providing an independent consistency check. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the standard cold dark matter (CDM) cosmology, the structure of dark halos including those of galaxy clusters reflects their mass accretion history. Older clusters tend to be more concentrated than younger clusters. Their structure, represented by the characteristic radius r s and mass M s of the Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) density profile, is related to their formation time. In this study, we showed that r s , M s , and the X-ray temperature of the intracluster medium (ICM), T X , form a thin plane in the space of (log r s , log M s , log T X) . This tight correlation indicates that the ICM temperature is also determined by the formation time of individual clusters. Numerical simulations showed that clusters move along the fundamental plane as they evolve. The plane and the cluster evolution within the plane could be explained by a similarity solution of structure formation of the universe. The angle of the plane shows that clusters have not achieved "virial equilibrium" in the sense that mass/size growth and pressure at the boundaries cannot be ignored. The distribution of clusters on the plane was related to the intrinsic scatter in the halo concentration–mass relation, which originated from the variety of cluster ages. The well-known mass–temperature relation of clusters ( M Δ ∝ T X 3 / 2 ) can be explained by the fundamental plane and the mass dependence of the halo concentration without the assumption of virial equilibrium. The fundamental plane could also be used for calibration of cluster masses. [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]

We precisely constrain the inner mass profile of A2261 (z = 0.225) for the first time and determine that this cluster is not “overconcentrated” as found previously, implying a formation time in agreement with ΛCDM expectations. These results are based on multiple strong-lensing analyses of new 16-band Hubble Space Telescope imaging obtained as part of the Cluster Lensing and Supernova survey with Hubble. Combining this with revised weak-lensing analyses of Subaru wide-field imaging with five-band Subaru + KPNO photometry, we place tight new constraints on the halo virial mass Mvir = (2.2 ± 0.2) × 1015M☼h–170 (within rvir ≈ 3 Mpc h–170) and concentration cvir = 6.2 ± 0.3 when assuming a spherical halo. This agrees broadly with average c(M, z) predictions from recent ΛCDM simulations, which span 5 ≲ 〈 c〉 ≲ 8. Our most significant systematic uncertainty is halo elongation along the line of sight (LOS). To estimate this, we also derive a mass profile based on archival Chandra X-ray observations and find it to be ∼35% lower than our lensing-derived profile at r2500 ∼ 600 kpc. Agreement can be achieved by a halo elongated with a ∼2:1 axis ratio along our LOS. For this elongated halo model, we find Mvir = (1.7 ± 0.2) × 1015M☼h–170 and cvir = 4.6 ± 0.2, placing rough lower limits on these values. The need for halo elongation can be partially obviated by non-thermal pressure support and, perhaps entirely, by systematic errors in the X-ray mass measurements. We estimate the effect of background structures based on MMT/Hectospec spectroscopic redshifts and find that these tend to lower Mvir further by ∼7% and increase cvir by ∼5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive an accurate mass distribution of the galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847 (z = 0.439) from a combined weak-lensing distortion, magnification, and strong-lensing analysis of wide-field Subaru BVRcIcz′ imaging and our recent 16-band Hubble Space Telescope observations taken as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble program. We find good agreement in the regions of overlap between several weak- and strong-lensing mass reconstructions using a wide variety of modeling methods, ensuring consistency. The Subaru data reveal the presence of a surrounding large-scale structure with the major axis running approximately northwest-southeast (NW-SE), aligned with the cluster and its brightest galaxy shapes, showing elongation with a ∼2: 1 axis ratio in the plane of the sky. Our full-lensing mass profile exhibits a shallow profile slope dln Σ/dln R ∼ –1 at cluster outskirts (R ≳ 1 Mpc h–1), whereas the mass distribution excluding the NW-SE excess regions steepens farther out, well described by the Navarro-Frenk-White form. Assuming a spherical halo, we obtain a virial mass Mvir = (1.1 ± 0.2 ± 0.1) × 1015M☼h–1 and a halo concentration cvir = 6.9 ± 1.0 ± 1.2 (cvir ∼ 5.7 when the central 50 kpc h–1 is excluded), which falls in the range 4 ≲ 〈 c〉 ≲ 7 of average c(M, z) predictions for relaxed clusters from recent Λ cold dark matter simulations. Our full-lensing results are found to be in agreement with X-ray mass measurements where the data overlap, and when combined with Chandra gas mass measurements, they yield a cumulative gas mass fraction of 13.7+4.5– 3.0% at 0.7 Mpc h–1(≈ 1.7 r2500), a typical value observed for high-mass clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]