High-resolution SZ imaging of clusters of galaxies with the NIKA2 camera at the IRAM 30-m telescope

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and application of high-resolution Sunyaev-Zel'dovich imaging of galaxy clusters using the NIKA2 camera at the IRAM 30-m telescope, enabling detailed studies at higher redshifts.

Contribution

It introduces the NIKA2 camera's capabilities and its potential for high-resolution SZ imaging of a large sample of distant galaxy clusters.

Findings

NIKA2 provides high angular resolution SZ images at 150 and 260 GHz.

Pilot observations with NIKA demonstrate the instrument's effectiveness.

The program will study 50 clusters between redshifts 0.4 and 0.9.

Abstract

The development of precision cosmology with clusters of galaxies requires high-angular resolution Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) observations. As for now, arcmin resolution SZ observations (e.g. SPT, ACT and Planck) only allowed detailed studies of the intra cluster medium for low redshift clusters (z<0.2). With both a wide field of view (6.5 arcmin) and a high angular resolution (17.7 and 11.2 arcsec at 150 and 260 GHz), the NIKA2 camera installed at the IRAM 30-m telescope (Pico Veleta, Spain), will bring valuable information in the field of SZ imaging of clusters of galaxies. The NIKA2 SZ observation program will allow us to observe a large sample of clusters (50) at redshifts between 0.4 and 0.9. As a pilot study for NIKA2, several clusters of galaxies have been observed with the pathfinder, NIKA, at the IRAM 30-m telescope to cover the various configurations and observation conditions expected for NIKA2.