The XXL Survey LIV. X-ray Luminosity Function and Luminosity-Mass Relation of Optically Selected Galaxy Groups

TL;DR

This study uses optically-selected galaxy groups to measure their X-ray luminosity function and derive the luminosity-mass relation, revealing a steeper slope at low masses likely due to non-gravitational effects, and avoiding X-ray selection biases.

Contribution

It presents the first measurement of the X-ray luminosity function and luminosity-mass relation for optically-selected galaxy groups, extending to lower luminosities and masses than previous X-ray selected samples.

Findings

XLF consistent with extrapolation from X-ray selected samples

Derived a steep LM relation slope of 1.87 ± 0.12

Evidence for steepening of the LM relation at low masses

Abstract

The overlap between the GAMA spectroscopic survey and the XXL X-ray survey was used to study the X-ray properties of optically-selected groups of galaxies. Forced X-ray aperture photometry was applied to an optically-selected sample of 235 groups (containing at least five member galaxies) to measure their X-ray luminosities in the regime of low signal to noise X-ray data. The sample encompasses X-ray luminosities over an order of magnitude fainter than typical X-ray selected samples, and avoids X-ray selection biases. This gives access to low mass groups where the effects of non-gravitational processes, such as AGN-feedback, should be most apparent and could inhibit their detection in an X-ray survey. We measured the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of the sample, and found it to be consistent with the extrapolation of the XLF from X-ray selected samples at higher luminosities. The XLF was combined with a theoretical halo mass function to infer the form of the scaling relation between X-ray luminosity and mass (LM relation) for the GAMA groups. We found a slope of $1.87 \pm 0.12$, which is steeper than self similarity in this mass regime. When comparing with other measurements of the LM relation, we find evidence for a steepening of the slope in the low mass regime, likely due to the impact of non-gravitational processes. Our approach can be translated to eROSITA data using multi-wavelength surveys to constrain the X-ray properties of galaxy groups in the limits of high redshift and low mass.