Multi-wavelength observations of galaxy clusters : population evolution and scaling relations for intermediate-redshift clusters
Galaxy clusters are key signatures of the formation of structure in the Universe due to their positions at the nodes of the cosmic web. However, these privileged positions feature significant amounts of activity as a consequence of frequent accretion and collisions with other galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Thus, a rigorous understanding of cluster evolution constrains not only cosmological structure formation but also galaxy dynamics in the most extreme environments. Here, we examine the evolution of clusters in two situations: how the properties of the hot intracluster gas changes with the total masses of the clusters at the observational frontiers of mass and redshift; and how cluster galaxies evolve with redshift in some of the most massive clusters in the Universe. In Chapter 2 we examine a population of moderate-luminosity clusters at intermediate redshifts using the XMM-Newton telescope with well-determined masses from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations. We find that these systems do not deviate from scaling relations between mass, luminosity, and temperature derived from more massive clusters, implying that, even at the redshifts and masses probed here, gravitational energetics still dominate over supernovae. In Chapter 3 we utilize new techniques to maximize a multi-wavelength dataset from HST of 25 massive galaxy clusters. We present new methods for detection and photometry of galaxies in the presence of inconsistent, diffuse background. Using these techniques, we construct a photometric catalog down to M* + 4-5 for clusters at redshift z ~ 0:2 to z ~ 0:9, which we validate with comparisons to spectral observations and a similar catalog. We also consider the luminosity function for these clusters; we find a drop-off in the faint-end slope when only selecting red sequence galaxies. Finally, in Chapter 4, we exploit our new photometric catalogs to study the evolution of the red galaxies, the "red sequence of galaxies," in these massive clusters of galaxies. With the combination of resolution, depth, and spectral coverage available in this work, we are able to use spectral fitting to examine the effects of metallicity and age in shaping the photometric properties of cluster galaxies. We see evidence of a metallicity gradient along the red sequence and minimal evolution in the slope with redshift, implying it is a consequence of the mass-metallicity relation in place at z ~ 2. However, we also see secondary indicators that the red sequence is being steadily populated at the fainter end after its initial formation.
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- In Collections
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Electronic Theses & Dissertations
- Copyright Status
- In Copyright
- Material Type
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Theses
- Authors
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Connor, Thomas Patrick
- Thesis Advisors
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Donahue, Megan
- Committee Members
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Voit, Gerard M.
Strader, Jay
Tollefson, Kirsten
DeYoung, Tyce
- Date Published
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2016
- Subjects
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Galaxies--Evolution
Galaxies--Clusters
- Program of Study
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Astrophysics and Astronomy - Doctor of Philosophy
- Degree Level
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Doctoral
- Language
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English
- Pages
- xix, 181 pages
- ISBN
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9781369051322
1369051328
- Permalink
- https://doi.org/doi:10.25335/pqe6-3282