First Results on Shear‐selected Clusters from the Deep Lens Survey: Optical Imaging, Spectroscopy, and X‐Ray Follow‐up

Abstract

We present the first sample of galaxy clusters selected on the basis of their\nweak gravitational lensing shear. The shear induced by a cluster is a function\nof its mass profile and its redshift relative to the background galaxies being\nsheared; in contrast to more traditional methods of selecting clusters, shear\nselection does not depend on the cluster's star formation history, baryon\ncontent, or dynamical state. Because mass is the property of clusters which\nprovides constraints on cosmological parameters, the dependence on these other\nparameters could induce potentially important biases in traditionally-selected\nsamples. Comparison of a shear-selected sample with optically and X-ray\nselected samples is therefore of great importance. Here we present the first\nstep toward a new shear-selected sample: the selection of cluster candidates\nfrom the first 8.6 deg$^2$ of the 20 deg$^2$ Deep Lens Survey (DLS), and\ntabulation of their basic properties such as redshifts and optical and X-ray\ncounterparts.\n