Chandra Cluster Cosmology Project III: Cosmological Parameter Constraints

TL;DR

This paper uses X-ray observations of galaxy clusters to constrain cosmological parameters, providing robust evidence for dark energy and improving limits on neutrino masses through combined data analysis.

Contribution

It presents new cosmological constraints from Chandra cluster data, demonstrating the effectiveness of cluster mass functions as dark energy probes and combining them with other datasets for enhanced precision.

Findings

Strong evidence for Omega_Lambda>0 with ~5sigma significance

Dark energy equation of state parameter w0=-0.991+-0.045 (stat) +-0.039 (sys)

Upper limit on sum of neutrino masses: <0.33 eV at 95% CL

Abstract

Chandra observations of large samples of galaxy clusters detected in X-rays by ROSAT provide a new, robust determination of the cluster mass functions at low and high redshifts. Statistical and systematic errors are now sufficiently small, and the redshift leverage sufficiently large for the mass function evolution to be used as a useful growth of structure based dark energy probe. In this paper, we present cosmological parameter constraints obtained from Chandra observations of 36 clusters with <z>=0.55 derived from 400deg^2 ROSAT serendipitous survey and 49 brightest z=~0.05 clusters detected in the All-Sky Survey. Evolution of the mass function between these redshifts requires Omega_Lambda>0 with a ~5sigma significance, and constrains the dark energy equation of state parameter to w0=-1.14+-0.21, assuming constant w and flat universe. Cluster information also significantly improves constraints when combined with other methods. Fitting our cluster data jointly with the latest supernovae, WMAP, and baryonic acoustic oscillations measurements, we obtain w0=-0.991+-0.045 (stat) +-0.039 (sys), a factor of 1.5 reduction in statistical uncertainties, and nearly a factor of 2 improvement in systematics compared to constraints that can be obtained without clusters. The joint analysis of these four datasets puts a conservative upper limit on the masses of light neutrinos, Sum m_nu<0.33 eV at 95% CL. We also present updated measurements of Omega_M*h and sigma_8 from the low-redshift cluster mass function.