A Model for Multi-property Galaxy Cluster Statistics

Abstract

The massive dark matter halos that host groups and clusters of galaxies have observable properties that appear to be log-normally distributed about power-law mean scaling relations in halo mass. Coupling this assumption with either quadratic or cubic approximations to the mass function in log space, we derive closed-form expressions for the space density of halos as a function of multiple observables as well as forms for the low-order moments of properties of observable-selected samples. Using a Tinker mass function in a ΛCDM cosmology, we show that the cubic analytic model reproduces results obtained from direct, numerical convolution at the 10 percent level or better over nearly the full range of observables covered by current observations and for redshifts extending to z = 1.5. The model provides an efficient framework for estimating effects arising from selection and covariance among observable properties in survey samples.

9 pages, 4 figures, uses on-line mass function calculator http://hmf.icrar.org/. Submitted to MNRAS

References in corpus (5)

• Virial Scaling of Massive Dark Matter Halos: Why Clusters Prefer a High Normalization Cosmology
• The relation between velocity dispersion and mass in simulated clusters of galaxies: dependence on the tracer and the baryonic physics
• The Lx-Yx Relation: Using Galaxy Cluster X-Ray Luminosity as a Robust, Low Scatter Mass Proxy
• Simultaneous Falsification of LCDM and Quintessence with Massive, Distant Clusters
• The Effect of Gas Physics on the Halo Mass Function

Cited by in corpus (3)

• The physics inside the scaling relations for X-ray galaxy clusters: gas clumpiness, gas mass fraction and slope of the pressure profile
• The X-ray luminosity-temperature relation of a complete sample of low-mass galaxy clusters
• Eddington's Demon: Inferring Galaxy Mass Functions and other Distributions from Uncertain Data