The Hubble constant, $H_0$, sets the scale of the size and age of the Universe and its determination from independent methods is still worthwhile to be investigated. In this article, by using the Sunyaev-Zel`dovich effect and X-ray surface brightness data from 38 galaxy clusters observed by Bonamente {\it{et al.}} (2006), we obtain a new estimate of $H_0$ in the context of a flat $Λ$CDM model. There is a degeneracy on the mass density parameter ($Ω_{m}$) which is broken by applying a joint analysis involving the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) as given by Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This happens because the BAO signature does not depend on $H_0$. Our basic finding is that a joint analysis involving these tests yield $H_0= 0.765^{+0.035}_{-0.033}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ and $Ω_{m}=0.27^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$. Since the hypothesis of spherical geometry assumed by Bonamente {\it {et al.}} is questionable, we have also compared the above results to a recent work where a sample of triaxial galaxy clusters has been considered.
Recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation by the Boomerang experiment indicate that the universe is spatially flat. Here some simple back-of-the-envelope calculations are used to explain their result. The main result is a simple formula for the angular scale of the acoustic peak in terms of the standard cosmological parameters: l=193*[1+3(1-Omega_0)/5+(1-h)/5+Omega_Lambda/35].
We show that the counts of galaxy clusters in future deep cluster surveys can place strong constraints on the matter density, Omega_m, the vacuum energy density, Omega_L, and the normalization of the matter power spectrum, sigma_8. Degeneracies between these parameters are different from those in studies of either high--redshift type Ia Supernovae (SNe), or cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. Using a mass threshold for cluster detection expected to be typical for upcoming SZE surveys, we find that constraints on Omega_m and sigma_8 at the level of roughly 5% or better can be expect…
We explore the cosmological implications of 7 deep survey fields observed at the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association (BIMA) Array with 30 GHz receivers. These observations probe the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy on scales corresponding to l=5500, and an earlier analysis of these data detected no galaxy clusters. We use numerical cluster simulations and mock observations to characterize the cluster detection efficiency for each of the BIMA fields. With these detection efficiencies we derive constraints on the cosmological parmaters OmegaM and sigma8, ruling out those models which ov…
We present cosmological constraints arising from the first measurement of the radial (line-of-sight) baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) scale in the large scale structure traced by the galaxy distribution. Here we use these radial BAO measurements at z = 0.24 and z = 0.43 to derive new constraints on dark energy and its equation of state for a flat universe, without any other assumptions on the cosmological model: w = -1.14 +/- 0.39 (assumed constant), Omega_m = 0.24+0.06-0.05. If we drop the assumption of flatness and include previous cosmic microwave background and supernova measurements, we…
We determine the distances to 18 galaxy clusters with redshifts ranging from z~0.14 to z~0.78 from a maximum likelihood joint analysis of 30 GHz interferometric Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and X-ray observations. We model the intracluster medium (ICM) using a spherical isothermal beta model. We quantify the statistical and systematic uncertainties inherent to these direct distance measurements, and we determine constraints on the Hubble parameter for three different cosmologies. These distances imply a Hubble constant of 60 (+4, -4) (+13, -18) km s-1 Mpc-1 for an Omega_M = 0.3, Omega_Lambd…
We examine the prospects for measuring the dark energy equation of state parameter w within the context of the still uncertain redshift evolution of galaxy cluster structure. We show that for a particular X-ray survey (SZE survey) the constraints on w degrade by roughly a factor of 3 (factor of 2) when one accounts for the possibility of non--standard cluster evolution. With followup measurements of a cosmology independent, mass--like quantity it is possible to measure cluster evolution, improving constraints on cosmological parameters (like w Omega_M). We examine scenarios where 1%, 10% and 1…
We study the expected redshift evolution of galaxy cluster abundance between 0 < z < 3 in different cosmologies, including the effects of the cosmic equation of state parameter w=p/rho. Using the halo mass function obtained in recent large scale numerical simulations, we model the expected cluster yields in a 12 deg^2 Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect (SZE) survey and a deep 10^4 deg^2 X-ray survey over a wide range of cosmological parameters. We quantify the statistical differences among cosmologies using both the total number and redshift distribution of clusters. Provided that the local cluster abun…
Although there is mounting observational evidence that the expansion of our universe is undergoing a late-time acceleration, the mechanism for this acceleration is yet unknown. In the so-called Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model this phenomena is attributed to gravitational leakage into extra dimensions. In this work, we mainly focus our attention to the constraints on the model from the gold sample of type Ia supernovae (SNeIa), the first year data from the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS) and the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). At 99.73% co…
We present a determination of the Hubble constant from measurements of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect (SZE) in an orientation-unbiased sample of 7 z < 0.1 galaxy clusters. With improved X-ray models and a more accurate 32-GHz calibration, we obtain H_O = 64+14-11 +/- 14_sys km/s/Mpc. for a standard CDM cosmology, or 66+14-11 +/- 15_sys km/s/Mpc for a flat LambdaCDM cosmology. In combination with X-ray cluster measurements and the BBN value for Omega_B, we find Omega_M = 0.32 +/- 0.05.
Baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the galaxy power spectrum allows us to extract the scale of the comoving sound horizon at recombination, a cosmological standard ruler accurately determined by the cosmic microwave background anisotropy data. We examine various issues important in the use of BAO to probe dark energy. We find that assuming a flat universe, and priors on Omega_m, Omega_m h^2, and Omega_b h^2 as expected from the Planck mission, the constraints on dark energy parameters (w_0,w') scale much less steeply with survey area than (area)^{-1/2} for a given redshift range. The constr…
We determine the distances to the z~0.55 galaxy clusters MS 0451.6-0305 and CL 0016+16 from a maximum likelihood joint fit to interferometric Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and X-ray observations. We model the intracluster medium (ICM) using a spherical isothermal beta-model. We quantify the statistical and systematic uncertainties inherent to these direct distance measurements, and we determine constraints on the Hubble parameter for three different cosmologies. For an OmegaM = 0.3, OmegaL = 0.7 cosmology, these distances imply a Hubble constant of 63 ^{+12}_{- 9} ^{+21}_{-21} km/s/Mpc, wher…
We present the large-scale correlation function measured from a spectroscopic sample of 46,748 luminous red galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The survey region covers 0.72 h^{-3} Gpc^3 over 3816 square degrees and 0.16<z<0.47, making it the best sample yet for the study of large-scale structure. We find a well-detected peak in the correlation function at 100h^{-1} Mpc separation that is an excellent match to the predicted shape and location of the imprint of the recombination-epoch acoustic oscillations on the low-redshift clustering of matter. This detection demonstrates the linear …
The lack of reliable cluster samples at intermediate and high redshift has motivated many optical/infrared and X-ray cluster searches. The motivation of such searches is well justified: the abundance of massive collapsed regions gives a direct constraint on Omega(matter). Alternatively, the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE) offers a robust method for the detection of clusters which is, almost, independent of redshift. In this paper we comment on the possibility of mapping the SZE at high resolution in the millimeter regime using the Large Millimeter Telescope/Gran Telescopio Milimetrico (LMT/GTM)…
Following the recent measurement of the acoustic peak by the BOOMERanG and MAXIMA experiments in the CMB anisotropy angular power spectrum, many analyses have found that the geometry of the Universe is very close to flat, but slightly closed models are favoured. In this paper we will briefly review how the CMB anisotropies depend on the curvature, explaining any assumptions we could make and showing that this skewness towards closed models can be easily explained by degeneracies in the cosmological parameters. While it is difficult to give independent constraints on the cosmological constant a…
Future Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) surveys will detect thousands of clusters, many of them at high redshift. We show how the SZE number counts as a function of flux can be used as a useful way of constraining the cosmological model. The constraints can be dramatically improved if redshift information is provided for a small subsample of the observed clusters. In this work we present the constraints in Omega_m and Sigma_8 expected for a combined mm-optical survey. The mm survey (Planck) providing the cluster number counts as a function of flux and the optical survey (GTC) the redshift estim…
We show that recent measurements of the power spectrum of cosmic microwave background anisotropies by BOOMERanG and MAXIMA can be characterized by four observables, the position of the first acoustic peak l_1= 206 pm 6, the height of the first peak relative to COBE normalization H_1= 7.6 pm 1.4, the height of the second peak relative to the first H_2 = 0.38 pm 0.04, and the height of the third peak relative to the first H_3 = 0.43 pm 0.07. This phenomenological representation of the measurements complements more detailed likelihood analyses in multidimensional parameter space, clarifying the d…
We present distance measurements to 71 high redshift type Ia supernovae discovered during the first year of the 5-year Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS). These events were detected and their multi-color light-curves measured using the MegaPrime/MegaCam instrument at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), by repeatedly imaging four one-square degree fields in four bands. Follow-up spectroscopy was performed at the VLT, Gemini and Keck telescopes to confirm the nature of the supernovae and to measure their redshift. With this data set, we have built a Hubble diagram extending to z=1, with all d…
If Omega_tot = 1 and structure formed from adiabatic initial conditions then the age of the Universe, as constrained by measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), is t_0=14.0 +/- 0.5 Gyr. The uncertainty is surprisingly small given that CMB data alone constrain neither h nor Omega_Lambda significantly. It is due to the tight (and accidental) correlation, in these models, of the age with the angle subtended by the sound horizon on the last--scattering surface and thus with the well-determined acoustic peak locations. If we assume either the HST Key Project result h = 0.72 \pm .08 or…
We have re-examined an ancient VLBI survey of ultra-comact radio sources at 2.29 GHz, which gave fringe amplitudes for 917 such objects with total flux density >0.5 Jy approximately. A number of cosmological investigations based upon this survey have been published in recent years. We have updated the sample with respect to both redshift and radio information, and now have full data for 613 objects, significantly larger than the number (337) used in earlier investigations. The corresponding angular-size/redshift diagram gives Omega_m=0.25+0.04/-0.03, Omega_Λ=0.97+0.09/-0.13 and K=0.22+0.07/-0.…
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy constrains the geometry of the Universe because the positions of the acoustic peaks of the angular power spectrum depend strongly on the curvature of underlying three-dimensional space. In this Letter we exploit current observations to determine the spatial geometry of the Universe in the presence of isocurvature modes. Previous analyses have always assumed that the cosmological perturbations were initially adiabatic. A priori one might expect that allowing additional isocurvature modes would substantially degrade the constraints on the curvatur…
Estimates of $H_0$ from Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and X-ray surface brightness of galaxy clusters depends on the underlying cosmology. In the current $Λ$CDM flat cosmology, a possible technique to broke the degenerescency on the mass density parameter ($Ω_{m}$) is to apply a joint analysis involving the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). By adopting this technique to the ($H_0, Ω_m$) parameter space, we obtain new constraints on the Hubble constant $H_0$ from BAO signature as given by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) catalog. Our analysis based on the SZE/X-ray data for a sample of 2…
We present a joint analysis of the power spectra of density fluctuations from three independent cosmological redshift surveys; the PSCz galaxy catalog, the APM galaxy cluster catalog and the Abell/ACO cluster catalog. Over the range 0.03 <= k <= 0.15 h/Mpc,the amplitudes of these three power spectra are related through a simple linear biasing model with b = 1.5 and b = 3.6 for Abell/ACO versus APM and Abell/ACO versus the PSCz respectively. Furthermore, the shape of these power spectra are remarkably similar despite the fact that they are comprised of significantly different objects (individua…
We show that the measurement of the baryonic acoustic oscillations in large high redshift galaxy surveys offers a precision route to the measurement of dark energy. The cosmic microwave background provides the scale of the oscillations as a standard ruler that can be measured in the clustering of galaxies, thereby yielding the Hubble parameter and angular diameter distance as a function of redshift. This, in turn, enables one to probe dark energy. We use a Fisher matrix formalism to study the statistical errors for redshift surveys up to z=3 and report errors on cosmography while marginalizing…
Where's the matter? The answer seems to be: ``distributed according to a power spectrum with at least one feature (local maximum) near 120-130h^-1Mpc''. Analyses of the Iovino, Clowes & Shaver quasar candidate catalogue at z~2 and the 2dF Quasar Survey 10K Release (2QZ-10K) support this claim, which has previously been made both for low redshift survey analyses and for high z~3) redshift surveys will be presented. This feature (i) offers a comoving standard ruler which can lift the matter density-cosmological constant (Omega_m-Omega_Lambda) degeneracy and (ii) might be due either to baryonic a…
An extensive sample of galaxy clusters will be available in the coming years, detected through their Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE). We use a semi-analytic model to study the scientific yield of combining SZE data with X-ray and optical follow-up observations. If clusters at a given redshift z_o can be identified with virialized, spherical halos, they populate a well-defined "fundamental plane" (FP) in the parameter space of the three observables: virial temperature (T), total Sunyaev-Zeldovich flux decrement (DS), and angular size (theta). The location and orientation of the FP, as well as it…
We compute the joint constraints on ten cosmological parameters from the latest CMB measurements. The lack of a significant second acoustic peak in the latest Boomerang and Maxima data favors models with more baryons than Big Bang nucleosynthesis predicts, almost independently of what prior information is included. The simplest flat inflation models with purely scalar scale-invariant fluctuations prefer a baryon density 0.022 <h^2 Omega_b < 0.040 and a total nonbaryonic (hot + cold) dark matter density 0.14 < h^2 Omega_dm < 0.32 at 95% confidence, and allow reionization no earlier than z~30.
We determine the distance to 38 clusters of galaxies in the redshift range 0.14 < z < 0.89 using X-ray data from Chandra and Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect data from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory and the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association interferometric arrays. The cluster plasma and dark matter distributions are analyzed using a hydrostatic equilibrium model that accounts for radial variations in density, temperature and abundance, and the statistical and systematic errors of this method are quantified. The analysis is performed via a Markov chain Monte Carlo technique that provides simul…
We have cross-correlated the WMAP data with several surveys of extragalactic sources and find evidence for temperature decrements associated with galaxy clusters and groups detected in the APM Galaxy Survey survey and the ACO catalogue. We interpret this as evidence for the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect from the clusters. Most interestingly, the signal may extend to ~1 deg around both groups and clusters and we suggest that this may be due to hot `supercluster' gas. We have further cross-correlated the WMAP data with clusters identified in the 2MASS galaxy catalogue and also find evide…
We present constraints on the mean matter density, Omega_m, the normalization of the density fluctuation power spectrum, sigma_8, and the dark-energy equation-of-state parameter, w, obtained from measurements of the X-ray luminosity function of the largest known galaxy clusters at redshifts z<0.7, as compiled in the Massive Cluster Survey (MACS) and the local BCS and REFLEX galaxy cluster samples. Our analysis employs an observed mass-luminosity relation, calibrated by hydrodynamical simulations, including corrections for non-thermal pressure support and accounting for the presence of intrinsi…
Baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs) and weak lensing (WL) are complementary probes of cosmology. We explore the distance and growth factor measurements from photometric BAO and WL techniques and investigate the roles of the distance and growth factor in constraining dark energy. We find for WL that the growth factor has a great impact on dark energy constraints but is much less powerful than the distance. Dark energy constraints from WL are concentrated in considerably fewer distance eigenmodes than those from BAO, with the largest contributions from modes that are sensitive to the absolute di…
We investigate observational constraints on the curvature of the universe not restricting ourselves to a cosmological constant as dark energy, in particular allowing a dark energy equation of state to evolve with time in several ways. We use type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) data from the latest gold data set which includes 182 SNeIa, along with the CMB shift parameter and the baryon acoustic oscillation peak. We show quantitatively that the constraint on the curvature of the universe depends on dark energy model: some popular parametrizations give constraints closely around the flat universe at 5% l…
We present new full-sky temperature and polarization maps in five frequency bands from 23 to 94 GHz, based on data from the first five years of the WMAP sky survey. The five-year maps incorporate several improvements in data processing made possible by the additional years of data and by a more complete analysis of the instrument calibration and in-flight beam response. We present several new tests for systematic errors in the polarization data and conclude that Ka band data (33 GHz) is suitable for use in cosmological analysis, after foreground cleaning. This significantly reduces the overall…
We measure the cosmological matter density by observing the positions of baryon acoustic oscillations in the clustering of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We jointly analyse the main galaxies and LRGs in the SDSS DR5 sample, using over half a million galaxies in total. The oscillations are detected with 99.74% confidence (3.0sigma assuming Gaussianity) compared to a smooth power spectrum. When combined with the observed scale of the peaks within the CMB, we find a best-fit value of Omega_m=0.256+0.029-0.024 (68% confidence interval), for a flat Lambda cosmology when marginalis…
We present constraints on the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, w=P/(rho c^2), using 60 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the ESSENCE supernova survey. We derive a set of constraints on the nature of the dark energy assuming a flat Universe. By including constraints on (Omega_M, w) from baryon acoustic oscillations, we obtain a value for a static equation-of-state parameter w=-1.05^{+0.13}_{-0.12} (stat; 1 sigma) +- 0.11 (sys) and Omega_M=0.274^{+0.033}_{-0.020} (stat; 1 sigma) with a best-fit chi^2/DoF of 0.96. These results are consistent with those reported by the SuperNova Legacy Sur…
Chandra observations of large samples of galaxy clusters detected in X-rays by ROSAT provide a new, robust determination of the cluster mass functions at low and high redshifts. Statistical and systematic errors are now sufficiently small, and the redshift leverage sufficiently large for the mass function evolution to be used as a useful growth of structure based dark energy probe. In this paper, we present cosmological parameter constraints obtained from Chandra observations of 36 clusters with <z>=0.55 derived from 400deg^2 ROSAT serendipitous survey and 49 brightest z=~0.05 clusters detecte…
(Abridged) The WMAP 5-year data strongly limit deviations from the minimal LCDM model. We constrain the physics of inflation via Gaussianity, adiabaticity, the power spectrum shape, gravitational waves, and spatial curvature. We also constrain the properties of dark energy, parity-violation, and neutrinos. We detect no convincing deviations from the minimal model. The parameters of the LCDM model, derived from WMAP combined with the distance measurements from the Type Ia supernovae (SN) and the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), are: Omega_b=0.0456+-0.0015, Omega_c=0.228+-0.013, Omega_Lambda=…
We use Monte Carlo techniques to simulate the ability of future large high-redshift galaxy surveys to measure the temporal evolution of the dark energy equation-of-state w(z), using the baryonic acoustic oscillations in the clustering power spectrum as a 'standard ruler'. Our analysis only utilizes the oscillatory component of the power spectrum and not its overall shape, which is potentially susceptible to broadband tilts induced by a host of model-dependent systematic effects. Our results are therefore robust and conservative. We show that baryon oscillation constraints can be thought of, to…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) are the most energetic events in the Universe, and provide a complementary probe of dark energy by allowing the measurement of cosmic expansion history that extends to redshifts greater than 6. Unlike Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), GRBs must be calibrated for each cosmological model considered, because of the lack of a nearby sample of GRBs for model-independent calibration. For a flat Universe with a cosmological constant, we find Omega_m=0.25^{+0.12}_{-0.11} from 69 GRBs alone. We show that the current GRB data can be summarized by a set of model-independent distance mea…
We analyze the cosmological constraints that Archeops places on adiabatic cold dark matter models with passive power-law initial fluctuations. Because its angular power spectrum has small bins in l and large l coverage down to COBE scales, Archeops provides a precise determination of the first acoustic peak in terms of position at multipole l_peak=220 +- 6, height and width. An analysis of Archeops data in combination with other CMB datasets constrains the baryon content of the Universe, Omega(b)h^2 = 0.022 (+0.003,-0.004), compatible with Big-Bang nucleosynthesis and with a similar accuracy. …