Constructing mock catalogues for the REFLEX II galaxy cluster sample

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to create realistic mock galaxy cluster catalogues from simulations, calibrated to match the REFLEX II survey, aiding in the analysis of cosmological and astrophysical data.

Contribution

The authors develop a calibration procedure for the mass-X-ray luminosity relation that reproduces observed cluster abundance and statistical properties in mock catalogues.

Findings

Mock catalogues match observed X-ray luminosity function

Calibration of the scaling relation depends on luminosity and halo definitions

Mock catalogues are useful for testing survey systematics and analysis methods

Abstract

We describe the construction of a suite of galaxy cluster mock catalogues from N-body simulations, based on the properties of the new ROSAT-ESO Flux-Limited X-Ray (REFLEX II) galaxy cluster catalogue. Our procedure is based on the measurements of the cluster abundance, and involves the calibration of the underlying scaling relation linking the mass of dark matter haloes to the cluster X-ray luminosity determined in the \emph{ROSAT} energy band $0.1-2.4$ keV. In order to reproduce the observed abundance in the luminosity range probed by the REFLEX II X-ray luminosity function ($0.01<L_{X}/(10^{44}{\rm erg}\,{\rm s}^{-1}h^{-2})<10$), a mass-X ray luminosity relation deviating from a simple power law is required. We discuss the dependence of the calibration of this scaling relation on the X-ray luminosity and the definition of halo masses and analyse the one- and two-point statistical properties of the mock catalogues. Our set of mock catalogues provides samples with self-calibrated scaling relations of galaxy clusters together with inherent properties of flux-limited surveys. This makes them a useful tool to explore different systematic effects and statistical methods involved in constraining both astrophysical and cosmological information from present and future galaxy cluster surveys.