Issue |
Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser.
Volume 136, Number 1, April I 1999
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 117 - 137 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/aas:1999203 | |
Published online | 15 April 1999 |
A search for gravitational lensing in 38 X-ray selected clusters of galaxies
1
Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 96822, U.S.A.
2
Visiting Astronomer at CFHT, operated by the National Reasearch Council of Canada, le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique de France and the University of Hawaii
3
Istituto di Radioastronomia del CNR, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
4
DAEC, Observatoire de Paris Meudon, F-92195 Meudon Principal Cedex, France
5
Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale, F-13376 Marseille Cedex 12, France
6
Experimental Astrophysics Group, Fermilab, Batavia IL 60510, U.S.A.
Send offprint request to: I.M. Gioia, Istituto di Radioastronomia del CNR, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129, Bologna, Italy.
Received:
2
October
1998
Accepted:
16
December
1998
We present the results of a CCD imaging survey for gravitational
lensing in a sample of 38 X-ray-selected clusters of galaxies.
Our sample consists of the most X-ray luminous
(Lx
≥ 2 1044 erg s-1)
clusters selected from the Einstein Observatory
Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS) that are observable
from Mauna Kea ( -40o).
The sample spans a redshift range of
and includes 5 clusters with
0.5.
CCD images of the clusters were obtained in excellent seeing.
There is evidence of strong gravitational lensing in the form of
giant arcs (length
, axis ratio
)
in 8 of the 38 clusters. Two additional clusters contain shorter
arclets, and 6 more clusters contain candidate arcs
that require follow-up observations to confirm their lensing origin.
Since the survey does not have a uniform surface brightness limit
we do not draw any conclusion based on the statistics of the arcs found.
We note, however, that 60% (3 of 5) of the clusters with
1045 erg s-1, and none of the 15
clusters with
1044 erg s-1
contain giant arcs, thereby confirming that high X-ray luminosity
does identify the most massive systems, and thus X-ray selection
is the preferred method for finding true, rich clusters at
intermediate and high redshifts.
The observed geometry of the arcs, most of which are thin, have large
axis ratios (
10), and are aligned orthogonal to the optical major
axes of the clusters, indicate the cluster core mass density profiles must be
compact (steeper than isothermal). In several cases, however, there
is also some evidence, in the form of possible radial arcs, for density
profiles with finite core radii.
Key words: galaxies: clusters: general / gravitational lensing / X-rays: galaxies / Cosmology: observations: dark matter
© European Southern Observatory (ESO), 1999