Results from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey

Abstract

We present results from weak lensing analyses of 20 high-redshift clusters in the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS) from both deep optical VLT and HST/ACS imaging. We find that the EDisCS sample is composed primarily of clusters that are less massive than those in current X-ray selected samples at similar redshifts, but that all of the fields are likely to contain massive clusters rather than superpositions low mass groups. We find good agreement between the weak lensing measurements in the VLT and ACS images. Finally we determine the noise level in the shear measurements for the VLT fields as a function of exposure time and seeing and demonstrate that future ground-based surveys which plan to perform deep optical imaging for use in weak lensing measurements must achieve point-spread functions smaller than a median of $0\farcs 6$ FWHM.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html