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We study the tomographic clustering properties of the photometric cluster catalogue derived from the third data release of the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), focusing on the angular correlation function and its spherical harmonic counterpart: the angular power spectrum. We measured the angular correlation function and power spectrum from a sample of 5162 clusters, with an intrinsic richness of λ* ≥ 15, in the photometric redshift range of z ∈ [0.1, 0.6]. We compared our measurements with theoretical models, within the framework of the Λ cold dark matter cosmology. We performed a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis to constrain the cosmological parameters, Ωm and σ8, as well as the structure growth parameter, S8 ≡ σ8√Ωm/0.3. We adopted Gaussian priors on the parameters of the mass-richness relation, based on the posterior distributions derived from a previous joint analysis of cluster counts and weak-lensing mass measurements carried out on the basis of the same catalogue. From the angular correlation function, we obtained Ωm = 0.32−0.04+0.05, σ8 = 0.77−0.09+0.13, and S8 = 0.80−0.06+0.08, which are in agreement, within 1σ, with the 3D clustering result based on the same cluster sample and with existing complementary studies on other data sets. For the angular power spectrum, we checked the validity of the Poissonian shot noise approximation, also considering the mode-mode coupling induced by the mask. We derived statistically consistent results, in particular, Ωm = 0.24−0.04+0.05 and S8 = 0.93−0.12+0.11; while the constraint on σ8 alone is weaker with respect to the one provided by the angular correlation function, σ8 = 1.01−0.17+0.25. Our results show that the 2D clustering from photometric cluster surveys can provide competitive cosmological constraints with respect to the full 3D clustering statistics. We also demonstrate that they can be successfully applied to ongoing and forthcoming spectrometric and photometric surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We constrain the ΛCDM cosmological parameter σ8 by applying the extreme value statistics for galaxy cluster mass on the AMICO KiDS-DR3 catalogue. We sample the posterior distribution of the parameters by considering the likelihood of observing the largest cluster mass value in a sample of N obs = 3644 clusters with intrinsic richness λ* > 20 in the redshift range z ∈ [0.10, 0.60]. We obtain |$\sigma _{8}=0.90_{-0.18}^{+0.20}$|⁠ , consistent within 1σ with the measurements obtained by the Planck collaboration and with previous results from cluster cosmology exploiting AMICO KiDS-DR3. The constraints could improve by applying this method to forthcoming missions, such as Euclid and LSST, which are expected to deliver thousands of distant and massive clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. X-ray selected samples are known to miss galaxy clusters that are gas poor and have a low surface brightness. This is different for the optically selected samples such as the X-ray Unbiased Selected Sample (XUCS). Aims. We characterise the origin of galaxy clusters that are gas poor and have a low surface-brightness by studying covariances between various cluster properties at fixed mass using hydrodynamic cosmological simulations. Methods. We extracted ≈1800 galaxy clusters from a high-resolution Magneticum hydrodynamic cosmological simulation and computed covariances at fixed mass of the following properties: core-excised X-ray luminosity, gas fraction, hot gas temperature, formation redshift, matter density profile concentration, galaxy richness, fossilness parameter, and stellar mass of the bright central galaxy. We also compared the correlation between concentration and gas fractions in non-radiative simulations, and we followed the trajectories of particles inside galaxy clusters to assess the role of AGN depletion on the gas fraction. Results. In simulations and in observational data, differences in surface brightness are related to differences in gas fraction. Simulations show that the gas fraction strongly correlates with assembly time, in the sense that older clusters are gas poor. Clusters that formed earlier have lower gas fractions because the feedback of the active galactic nucleus ejected a significant amount of gas from the halo. When the X-ray luminosity is corrected for the gas fraction, it shows little or no covariance with other quantities. Conclusions. Older galaxy clusters tend to be gas poor and possess a low X-ray surface brightness because the feedback mechanism removes a significant fraction of gas from these objects. Moreover, we found that most of the LX covariance with the other quantities is explained by differences in the gas fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundance of compact, massive, early-type galaxies (ETGs) provides important constraints to galaxy formation scenarios. Thanks to the area covered, depth, excellent spatial resolution and seeing, the ESO Public optical Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), carried out with the VLT Survey Telescope, offers a unique opportunity to conduct a complete census of the most compact galaxies in the Universe. This paper presents a first census of such systems from the first 156 deg2 of KiDS. Our analysis relies on g-, r- and i-band effective radii (Re), derived by fitting galaxy images with point spread function (PSF)-convolved Sérsic models, high-quality photometric redshifts, zphot, estimated from machine learning techniques, and stellar masses, M*, calculated from KiDS aperture photometry. After massiveness (M* ≳ 8 × 1010M☉) and compactness (Re ≲ 1.5 kpc in g, r and i bands) criteria are applied, a visual inspection of the candidates plus near-infrared photometry from VIKING-DR1 are used to refine our sample. The final catalogue, to be spectroscopically confirmed, consists of 92 systems in the redshift range z ~ 0.2-0.7. This sample, which we expect to increase by a factor of 10 over the total survey area, represents the first attempt to select massive supercompact ETGs (MSCGs) in KiDS. We investigate the impact of redshift systematics in the selection, finding that this seems to be a major source of contamination in our sample. A preliminary analysis shows that MSCGs exhibit negative internal colour gradients, consistent with a passive evolution of these systems. We find that the number density of MSCGs is only mildly consistent with predictions from simulations at z > 0.2, while no such system is found at z < 0.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present deep I and z′ imaging of the colour-selected cluster RzCS 052 and study the colour–magnitude relation of this cluster, its scatter, the morphological distribution on the red sequence, the luminosity and stellar mass functions of red galaxies and the cluster blue fraction. We find that the stellar populations of early-type galaxies in this cluster are uniformly old and that their luminosity function does not show any sign of evolution other than the passive evolution of their stellar populations. We rule out a significant contribution from mergers in the build-up of the red sequence of RzCS 052. The cluster has a large (∼30 per cent) blue fraction and we infer that the evolution of the blue galaxies is faster than an exponentially declining star formation model and that these objects have probably experienced starburst episodes. Mergers are unlikely to be the driver of the observed colour evolution, because of the measured constancy of the mass function, as derived from near-infrared photometry of 32 clusters, including RzCS 052, presented in a related paper. Mechanisms with clustercentric radial dependent efficiencies are disfavoured as well, because of the observed constant blue fraction with clustercentric distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the discovery of the cluster RzCS 052 using a modified red-sequence method, follow up spectroscopy and X-ray imaging. This cluster has a velocity dispersion of 710 ± 150 km s−1, a virial mass of (based on 21 spectroscopically confirmed members) and an X-ray luminosity of (0.68 ± 0.47) × 1044 erg s−1 in the [1–4] keV band. This optically selected cluster appears to be of richness class 3 and to follow the known LX–σ v relation for high-redshift X-ray selected clusters. Using these data, we find that the halo occupation number for this cluster is only marginally consistent with what was expected assuming a self-similar evolution of cluster scaling relations, suggesting perhaps a break of them at z∼ 1. We also rule out a strong galaxy merging activity between and today. Finally, we present a Bayesian approach to measuring cluster velocity dispersions and X-ray luminosities in the presence of a background: we critically reanalyse recent claims for X-ray underluminous clusters using these techniques and find that the clusters can be accommodated within the existing LX–σ v relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present experiments of χ (2) difference-frequency processes at frequency degeneracy in regime of high intensity. In the first experiment, we exploit ghost-imaging in the context of quantum cryptography in an attempt to overcome the limitation of the quantum key distribution of keys as long as the image. The code to be encrypted is the string of the power values measured by Alice in the test arm. In the second experiment, we generate frequency down-converted images that are chaotic as, at each laser shot, both the field at 2ω illuminating the object to be imaged and the seed-field at ω are made pseudo-thermal in space. The images are recovered from the recorded chaotic ones by correlating the local intensity fluctuations with those of the seed-field Fourier components. Calculating the correlations in parallel with many Fourier components allows image retrieval by averaging on ensembles of fewer recorded images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colour and luminosity distributions of red galaxies in the cluster Abell 1185 were studied down to in the and R bands. The colour–magnitude (CM) relation is linear without evidence for significant bending down to absolute magnitudes that are seldom probed in the literature . The CM relation is thin (±0.04 mag) and its thickness is quite independent of the magnitude. The luminosity function (LF) of red galaxies in Abell 1185 is adequately described by a Schechter function, with a characteristic magnitude and a faint end slope that also well describe the LF of red galaxies in other clusters. There is no passband dependence of the LF shape other than an obvious M* shift due to the colour of the considered population. Finally, we conclude that, based on colours and luminosity, red galaxies form a homogeneous population over four decades in stellar mass, providing a second piece of evidence against faint red galaxies being a recent cluster population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We record frequency-downconverted images that are chaotic, as they are obtained in a χ(2) crystal from the interaction of two pulsed pseudo-thermal fields of which the one at the higher frequency encountered the imaged object. Spatial correlations of the intensity fluctuations in these chaotic images with the intensity of a single spatial Fourier component of the low-frequency input field, allow image retrieval if the number of records on which the ensemble-averages are calculated is suitably large. When it is too small to achieve a satisfactory result, we show that computing the correlations in parallel with different components of the low-frequency input field, shifting the correlation maps according to a rule suggested by 3D phase-matching, and averaging them, leads to the recovery of the downconverted image. The method can be used for secure and fast image transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-wave mixing processes in a second-order nonlinear medium can be used for imaging protocols, in which an object field is injected into the nonlinear medium together with a reference field and an image field is generated. When the reference field is chaotic, the image field is also chaotic and does not carry any information about the object. We show that a clear image of the object can be extracted from the chaotic image field by measuring the spatial intensity correlations between this field and one Fourier component of the reference. We experimentally verify this imaging protocol in the case of difference-frequency generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology of clusters of galaxies may be described with a set of parameters which contain information concerning the formation and evolutionary history of these systems. In this paper we present a preliminary study of the morphological parameters of a sample of 28 compact Abell clusters extracted from Digitized Palomar Sky Survey data, measured with a procedure based on the use of theciao-sherpasoftware, developed at the Centre for Astrophysics for X-ray data analysis. The morphology of galaxy clusters is parametrized by their apparent ellipticity, position angle of the major axis, centre coordinates, core radius andβ-model power-law index. Our procedure provides estimates of these parameters (and of the related uncertainties) by simultaneously fitting them all, overcoming some of the difficulties induced by sparse data and low-number statistics typical of this kind of analysis. The cluster parameters were fitted in aregion, measuring the background in aannulus. We also explore the correlations between shape and profile parameters and other cluster properties. Our results can be summarized as follows: one-third of this compact cluster sample has core radii smaller than 100 kpc, i.e. near the limit that our data allow us to resolve, possibly consistent with cusped models. The remaining clusters span a broad range of core radii up to∼1500 kpc, including some apparently regular clusters with well-resolved core radii. More than 80 per cent of this sample has ellipticity higher than 0.2. The alignment between the cluster and the major axis of the dominant galaxy is confirmed at a high significance level, while no correlation is observed with other bright cluster members. No significant correlation is found between cluster richness and ellipticity. Instead, cluster richness is found to correlate, albeit with large scatter, with the cluster core radius. Finally, in contrast to claims in previous works, a flat universe seems to be favoured, and in any case is not excluded, by the power-law indexβ of our number density profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]