Search

We present the X-ray and optical properties of the galaxy groups selected in the Chandra X-Bo\"otes survey. Our final sample comprises 32 systems at \textbf{$z<1.75$}, with 14 below $z = 0.35$. For these 14 systems we estimate velocity dispersions ($\sigma_{gr}$) and perform a virial analysis to obtain the radii ($R_{200}$ and $R_{500}$) and total masses ($M_{200}$ and $M_{500}$) for groups with at least five galaxy members. We use the Chandra X-ray observations to derive the X-ray luminosity ($L_X$). We examine the performance of the group properties $\sigma_{gr}$, $L_{opt}$ and $L_X$, as proxies for the group mass. Understanding how well these observables measure the total mass is important to estimate how precisely the cluster/group mass function is determined. Exploring the scaling relations built with the X-Bo\"otes sample and comparing these with samples from the literature, we find a break in the $L_X$-$M_{500}$ relation at approximately $M_{500} = 5\times10^{13}$ M$_\odot$ (for $M_{500} > 5\times10^{13}$ M$_\odot$, $M_{500} \propto L_X^{0.61\pm0.02}$, while for $M_{500} \leq 5\times10^{13}$ M$_\odot$, $M_{500} \propto L_X^{0.44\pm0.05}$). Thus, the mass-luminosity relation for galaxy groups cannot be described by the same power law as galaxy clusters. A possible explanation for this break is the dynamical friction, tidal interactions and projection effects which reduce the velocity dispersion values of the galaxy groups. By extending the cluster luminosity function to the group regime, we predict the number of groups that new X-ray surveys, particularly eROSITA, will detect. Based on our cluster/group luminosity function estimates, eROSITA will identify $\sim$1800 groups ($L_X = 10^{41}-10^{43}$ ergs s$^{-1}$) within a distance of 200 Mpc. Since groups lie in large scale filaments, this group sample will map the large scale structure of the local universe., Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures

We investigate relations between the color and luminosity distributions of cluster galaxies and the evolutionary state of their host clusters. Our aim is to explore some aspects of cluster galaxy evolution and the dynamical state of clusters as two sides of the same process. We used 10,721 member galaxies of 183 clusters extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using a list of NoSOCS and CIRS targets. First, we classified the clusters into two categories, Gaussian and non-Gaussian, according to their velocity distribution measurements, which we used as an indicator of their dynamical state. We then used objective criteria to split up galaxies according to their luminosities, colors, and photometric mean stellar age. This information was then used to evaluate how galaxies evolve in their host clusters. Meaningful color gradients, i.e., the fraction of red galaxies as a function of radius from the center, are observed for both the Gaussian velocity distribution and the non-Gaussian velocity distribution cluster subsamples, which suggests that member galaxy colors change on a shorter timescale than the time needed for the cluster to reach dynamical equilibrium. We also found that larger portions of fainter red galaxies are found, on average, in smaller radii. The luminosity function in Gaussian clusters has a brighter characteristic absolute magnitude and a steeper faint-end slope than it does in the non-Gaussian velocity distribution clusters. Our findings suggest that cluster galaxies experience intense color evolution before virialization, while the formation of faint galaxies through dynamical interactions probably takes place on a longer timescale, possibly longer than the virialization time., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A

We study an SDSS sample of galaxies within 50 Mpc of the nominal center of the Ursa Major supercluster. Our aim is to study galaxy distribution around groups in the supercluster and the link between the distribution of relaxed and nonrelaxed galaxy systems with respect to the supercluster environment. Using the FoF algorithm, 40 galaxy groups were identified in this region. We classified the systems according to the results of normality and substructure tests applied to member galaxies. Then, we studied the relative distribution of relaxed and nonrelaxed systems across the supercluster. We find that 68% of galaxy groups are Gaussian and that all the non-Gaussian systems have substructures and probably correspond to multimodal systems in redshift space. We also find that the Gaussian systems inhabit the denser regions of the supercluster, with higher densities of both red and blue galaxies within 2.5 Mpc, and have smaller group-group pairwise separations. Our results suggest a spatial segregation of dynamical states, where relaxed systems may have formed and evolved earlier and faster around high-density peaks, while nonrelaxed systems may be growing slower on the peripheries of lower density peaks. In this picture, galaxy clustering seems to be prompting a continuous internal evolution in the supercluster, with several groups collapsing into the more evolved and contracted regions., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A

We present a study of 9 galaxy groups with evidence for non-Gaussianity in their velocity distributions out to 4R200. This sample is taken from 57 groups selected from the 2PIGG catalog of galaxy groups. Statistical analysis indicates that non-Gaussian groups have masses significantly higher than Gaussian groups. We also have found that all non-Gaussian systems seem to be composed of multiple velocity modes. Besides, our results indicate that multimodal groups should be considered as a set of individual units with their own properties. In particular, we have found that the mass distribution of such units are similar to that of Gaussian groups. Our results reinforce the idea of non-Gaussian systems as complex structures in the phase space, likely corresponding to secondary infall aggregations at a stage before virialization. The understanding of these objects is relevant for cosmological studies using groups and clusters through the mass function evolution., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures and 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the MNRAS

We present a detailed description of the Voronoi Tessellation (VT) cluster finder algorithm in 2+1 dimensions, which improves on past implementations of this technique. The need for cluster finder algorithms able to produce reliable cluster catalogs up to redshift 1 or beyond and down to $10^{13.5}$ solar masses is paramount especially in light of upcoming surveys aiming at cosmological constraints from galaxy cluster number counts. We build the VT in photometric redshift shells and use the two-point correlation function of the galaxies in the field to both determine the density threshold for detection of cluster candidates and to establish their significance. This allows us to detect clusters in a self consistent way without any assumptions about their astrophysical properties. We apply the VT to mock catalogs which extend to redshift 1.4 reproducing the $\Lambda$CDM cosmology and the clustering properties observed in the SDSS data. An objective estimate of the cluster selection function in terms of the completeness and purity as a function of mass and redshift is as important as having a reliable cluster finder. We measure these quantities by matching the VT cluster catalog with the mock truth table. We show that the VT can produce a cluster catalog with completeness and purity $>80%$ for the redshift range up to $\sim 1$ and mass range down to $\sim 10^{13.5}$ solar masses., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures. ApJ accepted

We study segregation phenomena in 57 groups selected from the 2PIGG catalog of galaxy groups. The sample corresponds to those systems located in areas of at least 80% redshift coverage out to 10 times the radius of the groups. The dynamical state of the galaxy systems was determined after studying their velocity distributions. We have used the Anderson-Darling test to distinguish relaxed and non-relaxed systems. This analysis indicates that 84% of groups have galaxy velocities consistent with the normal distribution, while 16% of them have more complex underlying distributions. Properties of the member galaxies are investigated taking into account this classification. Our results indicate that galaxies in Gaussian groups are significantly more evolved than galaxies in non-relaxed systems out to distances of about 4R200, presenting signficantly redder (B-R) color. We also find evidence that galaxies with M_R < -21.5 in Gaussian groups are closer to the condition of energy equipartition., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the MNRAS Letters