Cosmological Constraints from Sunyaev-Zel'dovich-selected Clusters with X-Ray Observations in the First 178 deg2 of the South Pole Telescope Survey

• Published in: The Astrophysical Journal
• Main Authors: Benson, B. A., de Haan, T., Dudley, J. P., Reichardt, C. L., Aird, K. A., Andersson, K., Armstrong, R., Ashby, Matthew L N, Bautz, M., Bayliss, Matthew, Bazin, G., Bleem, L. E., Brodwin, M., Carlstrom, J. E., Chang, C. L., Cho, H. M., Clocchiatti, A., Crawford, T. M., Crites, A. T., Desai, S., Dobbs, M. A., Foley, R. J., Forman, William R., George, E. M., Gladders, M. D., Gonzalez, A. H., Halverson, N. W., Harrington, N., High, F. W., Holder, G. P., Holzapfel, W. L., Hoover, S., Hrubes, J. D., Jones, C., Joy, M., Keisler, R., Knox, L., Lee, A. T., Leitch, E. M., Liu, J., Lueker, M., Luong-Van, D., Mantz, A., Marrone, D. P., McDonald, M., McMahon, J. J., Mehl, J., Meyer, S. S., Mocanu, L., Mohr, J. J., Montroy, T. E., Murray, S. S., Natoli, T., Padin, S., Plagge, T., Pryke, C., Rest, A., Ruel, Jonathan, Ruhl, J. E., Saliwanchik, B. R., Saro, A., Sayre, J. T., Schaffer, K. K., Shaw, L., Shirokoff, E., Song, J., Spieler, H. G., Stalder, Brian A, Staniszewski, Z., Stark, Antony A., Story, K., Stubbs, Christopher William, Suhada, R., van Engelen, A., Vanderlinde, K., Vieira, J. D., Viklinin, Alexey A., Williamson, R., Zahn, O., Zenteno, A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Astronomical Society 2013
• Subjects: Hubble; South Pole; Wilkinson; South pole
• Online Access: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11857775; https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637x/763/2/147

We use measurements from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) cluster survey in combination with X-ray measurements to constrain cosmological parameters. We present a statistical method that fits for the scaling relations of the SZ and X-ray cluster observables with mass while jointly fitting for cosmology. The method is generalizable to multiple cluster observables, and self-consistently accounts for the effects of the cluster selection and uncertainties in cluster mass calibration on the derived cosmological constraints. We apply this method to a data set consisting of an SZ-selected catalog of 18 galaxy clusters at z > 0.3 from the first 178 deg2 of the 2500 deg2 SPT-SZ survey, with 14 clusters having X-ray observations from either Chandra or XMM-Newton. Assuming a spatially flat ΛCDM cosmological model, we find the SPT cluster sample constrains σ8(Ω m /0.25)0.30 = 0.785 ± 0.037. In combination with measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum from the SPT and the seven-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data, the SPT cluster sample constrains σ8 = 0.795 ± 0.016 and Ω m = 0.255 ± 0.016, a factor of 1.5 improvement on each parameter over the CMB data alone. We consider several extensions beyond the ΛCDM model by including the following as free parameters: the dark energy equation of state (w), the sum of the neutrino masses (Σm ν), the effective number of relativistic species (N eff), and a primordial non-Gaussianity (f NL). We find that adding the SPT cluster data significantly improves the constraints on w and Σm ν beyond those found when using measurements of the CMB, supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and the Hubble constant. Considering each extension independently, we best constrain w = –0.973 ± 0.063 and the sum of neutrino masses Σm ν < 0.28 eV at 95% confidence, a factor of 1.25 and 1.4 improvement, respectively, over the constraints without clusters. Assuming a ΛCDM model with a free N eff and Σm ν, we measure N eff = 3.91 ± 0.42 and constrain Σm ν < 0.63 eV at 95% confidence. We also use the SPT cluster sample to constrain f NL = –220 ± 317, consistent with zero primordial non-Gaussianity. Finally, we discuss the current systematic limitations due to the cluster mass calibration, and future improvements for the recently completed 2500 deg2 SPT-SZ survey. The survey has detected ~500 clusters with a median redshift of ~0.5 and a median mass of ~2.3 × 1014 M ☉ h –1 and, when combined with an improved cluster mass calibration and existing external cosmological data sets will significantly improve constraints on w. Astronomy Physics Version of Record