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Using the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor to Study Cluster Galaxy EvolutionWe explore the application of XMM Newton Optical Monitor (XMM-OM) ultraviolet (UV) data to study galaxy evolution. Our sample is constructed as the intersection of all Abell clusters with z < 0.05 and having archival XMM-OM data in either the UVM2 or UVW1 filters, plus optical and UV photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and GALEX, respectively. The 11 resulting clusters include 726 galaxies with measured redshifts, 520 of which have redshifts placing them within their parent Abell clusters. We develop procedures for manipulating the XMM-OM images and measuring galaxy photometry from them, and we confirm our results via comparison with published catalogs. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) constructed using the XMM-OM data along with SDSS optical data show promise for evolutionary studies, with good separation between red and blue sequences and real variation in the width of the red sequence that is likely indicative of differences in star formation history. This is particularly true for UVW1 data, as the relative abundance of data collected using this filter and its depth make it an attractive choice. Available tools that use stellar synthesis libraries to fit the UV and optical photometric data may also be used, thereby better describing star formation history within the past billion years and providing estimates of total stellar mass that include contributions from young stars. Finally, color-color diagrams that include XMM-OM UV data appear useful to the photometric identification of both extragalactic and stellar sources.
Document ID
20120016951
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Miller, Neal A.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
O'Steen, Richard
(North Carolina Univ. Chapel Hill, NC, United States)
Yen, Steffi
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Kuntz, K. D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hammer, Derek
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2012
Subject Category
Astronomy
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.6766.2012
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EO90A
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX09AC76G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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