August 2025

Journal

Improving galaxy cluster selection with the outskirt stellar mass of galaxies

By:
Suchyta, Eric D
Journal Name:
Physical Review D
Page Number:
123524
Volume:
111
Issue Number:
12
Publication Date:
August 2025
View DOI Listing:
https://doi.org/10.1103/1j5f-cmkg

Abstract

The number density and redshift evolution of optically selected galaxy clusters offer an independent measurement of the amplitude of matter fluctuations, 𝑆8. However, recent results have shown that clusters chosen by the redMaPPer algorithm show richness-dependent biases that affect the weak lensing signals and number densities of clusters, increasing uncertainty in the cluster mass calibration and reducing their constraining power. In this work, we evaluate an alternative cluster proxy, outskirt stellar mass, 𝑀out, defined as the total stellar mass within a [50, 100] kpc envelope centered on a massive galaxy. This proxy exhibits scatter comparable to redMaPPer richness, 𝜆, but is less likely to be subject to projection effects. We compare the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 redMaPPer cluster catalog with a 𝑀out selected cluster sample from the Hyper-Suprime Camera survey. We use weak lensing measurements to quantify and compare the scatter of 𝑀out and 𝜆 with halo mass. Our results show 𝑀out has a scatter consistent with 𝜆, with a similar halo mass dependence, and that both proxies contain unique information about the underlying halo mass. We find 𝜆-selected samples introduce features into the measured Δ⁢Σ signal that are not well fit by a log-normal scatter only model, absent in 𝑀out selected samples. Our findings suggest that 𝑀out offers an alternative for cluster selection with more easily calibrated selection biases, at least at the generally lower richnesses probed here. Combining both proxies may yield a mass proxy with a lower scatter and more tractable selection biases, enabling the use of lower mass clusters in cosmology. Finally, we find the scatter and slope in the 𝜆 −𝑀out scaling relation to be 0.49 ±0.02 and 0.38 ±0.09.


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