A mature cluster with X-ray emission at z = 2.07

February 2011 • 2011A&A...526A.133G

Authors • Gobat, R. • Daddi, E. • Onodera, M. • Finoguenov, A. • Renzini, A. • Arimoto, N. • Bouwens, R. • Brusa, M. • Chary, R. -R. • Cimatti, A. • Dickinson, M. • Kong, X. • Mignoli, M.

Abstract • We report evidence of a fully established galaxy cluster at z = 2.07, consisting of a ~20σ overdensity of red, compact spheroidal galaxies spatially coinciding with extended X-ray emission detected with XMM-Newton. We use VLT VIMOS and FORS2 spectra and deep Subaru, VLT and Spitzer imaging to estimate the redshift of the structure from a prominent z = 2.07 spectroscopic redshift spike of emission-line galaxies, concordant with the accurate 12-band photometric redshifts of the red galaxies. Using NICMOS and Keck AO observations, we find that the red galaxies have elliptical morphologies and compact cores. While they do not form a tight red sequence, their colours are consistent with that of a ≳1.3 Gyr population observed at z ~ 2.1. From an X-ray luminosity of 7.2×10⁴³ erg s^-1 and the stellar mass content of the red galaxy population, we estimate a halo mass of 5.3-8×10¹³ M_⊙, comparable to the nearby Virgo cluster. These properties imply that this structure could be the most distant, mature cluster known to date and that X-ray luminous, elliptical-dominated clusters are already forming at substantially earlier epochs than previously known.

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Ranga-Ram Chary

Senior Scientist