Related papers: X-ray Cluster Cosmology
My Ph.D. Thesis is devoted to the study of groups and clusters of galaxies in the X-ray band. This field has been very active in the last ten years, thanks to the data gathered from the Chandra and XMM satellites. Clusters of galaxies are…
Despite compelling theoretical arguments, the use of clusters as cosmological probes is, in practice, frequently questioned because of the many uncertainties impinging on cluster mass estimates. Our aim is to develop a fully self-consistent…
We describe a project to study a sample of X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies at redshift z~0.2 at several scales (with HST/WFPC2 and CFHT/CFH12k) and wavebands (optical and X-ray). The main aims of the project are (i) to determine the…
Clusters of galaxies can be used for very different kinds of cosmological tests. I review a few of the methods: determination of cluster masses and dark matter content, metal enrichment and its connection to the origin of the intra-cluster…
X-ray clusters are powerful tools for the determination of cosmological parameters. More specifically, the combined knowledge of the redshift distribution of X-ray clusters together with the luminosity-temperature correlation, $L_X-T_X$…
The objective of the XMM-LSS Survey is to map the large scale structure of the universe, as highlighted by clusters and groups of galaxies, out to a redshift of about 1, over a single 8x8 sq.deg. area. For the first time, this will reveal…
Modern galaxy cluster science is a multi-wavelength endeavor with cornerstones provided by X-ray, optical/IR, mm, and radio measurements. In combination, these observations enable the construction of large, clean, complete cluster catalogs,…
Galaxy clusters trace the highest density peaks in the large-scale structure of the Universe. Their clustering provides a powerful probe that can be exploited in combination with cluster mass measurements to strengthen the cosmological…
Galaxy clusters are one of the important cosmological probes to test the consistency of the observable structure and evolution of our Universe with the predictions of specific cosmological models. We use results from our analysis of the…
Clusters of galaxies at high redshift (z>1) are vitally important to understand the evolution of the large scale structure of the Universe, the processes shaping galaxy populations and the cycle of the cosmic baryons, and to constrain…
The total mass of a galaxy cluster is one of its most fundamental properties. Together with the redshift, the mass links observation and theory, allowing us to use the cluster population to test models of structure formation and to…
The upcoming XMM Large Scale Structure Survey (XMM-LSS) will ultimately provide a unique mapping of the distribution of X-ray sources in a contiguous 64 sq. deg. region. In particular, it will provide the 3-dimensional location of about 900…
We outline main arguments in favor of cosmological X-ray surveys of galaxy clusters. We summarize recent advances in our understanding of cluster physics. After a short review of past surveys, we present the scientific motivations of the…
As the largest gravitationally bound structures known, clusters provide clear constraints on the formation of structure and on the composition of the universe. Despite their extreme importance for cosmology the number of clusters at high…
This is the first in a series of papers in which we measure accurate weak-lensing masses for 51 of the most X-ray luminous galaxy clusters known at redshifts 0.15<z<0.7, in order to calibrate X-ray and other mass proxies for cosmological…
The Wide Field X-Ray Telescope (WFXT) is a medium-class mission designed to be 2-orders-of-magnitude more sensitive than any previous or planned X-ray mission for large area surveys and to match in sensitivity the next generation of…
The selection of clusters of galaxies through their X-ray emission has proved to be an extremely powerful technique over the past four decades. The growth of X-ray astronomy has provided the community with a steadily more detailed view of…
Cosmological probes based on galaxy clusters rely on cluster number counts and large-scale structure information. X-ray cluster surveys are well suited for this purpose, since they are far less affected than optical surveys by projection…
We explore the cosmological constraints expected from wide area XMM-type cluster surveys covering 50-200 deg2, under realistic observing conditions. We perform a Fisher matrix analysis based on cluster number counts in combination with…
Galaxy clusters are the largest structures in Universe. They are very important as both cosmological probes and astrophysical laboratories. Several methods have been developed to detect galaxy clusters with different techniques (optical,…