GALAXY CLUSTERS DISCOVERED VIA THE THERMAL SUNYAEV-ZEL’DOVICH EFFECT IN THE 500-SQUARE-DEGREE SPTPOL SURVEY

Abstract

We present a catalog of 689 galaxy cluster candidates detected at significance ξ > 4 via their thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect signature in 95 and 150 GHz data from the 500-square-degree SPTpol survey. We use optical and infrared data from the Dark Energy Camera and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Spitzer satellites, to confirm 544 of these candidates as clusters with ∼ 94% purity. The sample has an approximately redshift-independent mass threshold at redshift z > 0.25. The confirmed sample spans 1.5 × 1014 < M500c < 9 × 1014 M⊙/h70 and 0.03 < z ≲ 1.6 in mass and redshift, respectively, with a median mass of 2.5 ×1014 M⊙ /h70 and median redshift z = 0.7; 21% of the ..