2001/11/13 by Marc Postman, Postman, Marc
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0111247
12 pages, 4 figures, to appear in ASP Conference Series "Tracing Cosmic Evolution with Galaxy Clusters," Sesto 2001
arxiv created 2001/11/13 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
Given the importance of clusters to the fields of cosmology and galaxy evolution, it is critical to understand how the cluster detection process affects (biases) ones scientific conclusions derived from a given cluster sample. I review the astrophysics, algorithms, and observational constraints that must be considered when attempting to assess cluster selection biases and their impact on the scientific constraints derived from multi-wavelength cluster surveys. In particular, one can more accurately quantify and understand the selection biases and assess cluster evolution when using joint optical/NIR/x-ray surveys than can be achieved when employing any single cluster survey.