Open AccessMass selection bias in galaxy cluster peculiar velocities from the kinetic Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect
Author(s) -
Peel Alan C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09804.x
Subject(s) - physics , sunyaev–zel'dovich effect , peculiar velocity , galaxy cluster , kinetic energy , astrophysics , dark matter , cluster (spacecraft) , perturbation theory (quantum mechanics) , galaxy , halo , classical mechanics , redshift , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
Upcoming surveys for galaxy clusters using the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect are potentially sensitive enough to create a peculiar velocity catalogue. The statistics of these peculiar velocities are sensitive to cosmological parameters. We develop a method to explore parameter space using N ‐body simulations in order to quantify dark matter halo velocity statistics which will be useful for cluster peculiar velocity observations. We show that mass selection bias from a kinetic Sunyaev–Zel'dovich velocity catalogue forecasts rms peculiar velocities with a much more complicated Ω m dependency than suggested by linear perturbation theory. In addition, we show that both two‐point functions for velocities disagree with linear theory predictions out to ∼40 h −1 Mpc separations. A pedagogical appendix is included developing linear theory notation with respect to the two‐point peculiar velocities functions.