# X-ray Clusters and the Search for Cosmic Flows

## 1 Introduction

Efforts to improve the sensitivity of redshift-independent distance estimators as peculiar velocity probes exploit correlations in the physical properties of the objects used. One such correlation, between absolute magnitude, $`M_R`$ and Hoessel’s (1980) ‘structure parameter’, $`\alpha `$ ($`0.921\left[\delta M_R/\delta \mathrm{ln}r\right]|_{r_m}`$; logarithmic slope of the luminosity profile at a metric aperture, $`r_m`$) was employed by Lauer & Postman (1994, hereafter LP) for a sample of optically selected Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in 119 ACO (Abell, Corwin & Olowin 1989) hosts, to reduce the scatter in BCG $`M_R`$ from 0.33 to 0.24 mag. Subsequent analysis suggested a large-scale coherent bulk flow — a result in conflict with current cosmological models (e.g. Strauss & Willick 1995). Hudson & Ebeling (1997) speculated that this scatter may be further reduced via corrections for BCG environment. We explore this possibility with an independent, X-ray selected data set.

## 2 X-ray Selected Sample

X-ray selection has significant advantages over optical selection: ($`i`$) Diffuse X-ray emission from cluster cores identifies bona-fide clusters and reduces superposition effects, which in optical catalogues, can overestimate cluster richness. ($`ii`$) X-ray parameters provide a more physical reflection of the nature of cluster environments. ($`iii`$) X-ray surveys are background limited and thus free from problems in estimating local background galaxy number density. Additionally, surveying the whole sky using a single detector avoids biases present in optical catalogues, assembled from disparate survey characteristics (e.g. ACO).

We search for diffuse emission above an X-ray flux limit of $`3\times 10^{12}`$ erg s<sup>-1</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup> in the latest reduction of the ROSAT all-sky survey (RASS II). The resulting database is paired with coordinates for ACO clusters with published redshifts, $`z_{LG}<0.1`$. The $`250`$ clusters for which the ACO coordinate lies within $`15`$ arc-minutes of the X-ray centroid form a parent sample. Composite images frequently show coincidences between peaks of X-ray emission and projected position of dominant galaxies (Lazzati & Chincarini 1998). BCG candidates for our sample are identified via this positional coincidence. In over 90% of cases, positional coincidences are unambiguous. When no candidate is found close to a local X-ray centroid, the dominant elliptical closest to the global cluster X-ray centroid is adopted as the BCG candidate.

For $`200`$ clusters, for which photometric zero point accuracy $`\mathrm{\Delta }R<0.03`$ mag., we measure structure parameter, $`\alpha `$ at 10 $`h^1`$ kpc and $`R`$-band absolute metric aperture magnitude, $`M_R`$ within elliptical apertures of this semi-major axis (excluding contaminating sources) of all ellipticals within X-ray peaks.

## 3 Results: BCG Structure and Environment

Figure 1 compares $`\alpha `$ distributions for the LP sample and a subset of the X-ray sample (for which positional coincidences are unambiguous). (a) The mean value of the X-ray distribution ($`\overline{\alpha }=0.71`$) is higher than the LP sample ($`\overline{\alpha }=0.57`$). (b) The LP data show excess low-$`\alpha `$ ($`<0.5`$) galaxies. Conversely, the X-ray selected sample shows an excess contribution from high-$`\alpha `$ ($`>0.6`$) galaxies. The distribution of X-ray selected BCG candidates appears shifted to high-$`\alpha `$ values. (c) Despite larger sample size, the X-ray selected distribution occupies a narrower range of $`\alpha `$ than the LP case. (d) The X-ray sample histogram is more Gaussian than the LP sample.

Comparing identifications in 49 clusters common to both samples, we find $`30\%`$ of these hosts have different BCG candidates, depending upon selection method. In every common cluster in which LP find a low-$`\alpha `$ ($`<0.5`$) BCG, our objective technique selects a different candidate, always with higher $`\alpha `$ than the optically selected BCG. Thus, X-ray selection reduces contaminating effects evident in optical samples, preferentially selecting high-$`\alpha `$ BCG candidates and producing a more homogeneous sample.

Figure 2 does not show any $`M_R`$-$`\alpha `$ correlation (c.f. LP fig. 4). Appealing to a speculated correction for environment (Hudson & Ebeling 1997), we consider 152 clusters with reliably determined X-ray luminosities, $`L_{44}`$. The response of $`M_R`$ to $`L_{44}`$ (figure 3) does not indicate a correlation in any interval of $`\alpha `$. Hence, despite the homogeneity of X-ray selected samples, these candidates remain relatively poor standard candles. The scatter remains $`0.34`$ mag. dominating any dipole signal that may be present as the result of a coherent bulk streaming motion.

## 4 Discussion

The $`M_R`$-$`\alpha `$ correlation in optical BCG samples (Hoessel 1980, LP) is principally constrained at low-$`\alpha `$. Above $`\alpha 0.5`$, scatter about the mean relation increases and no correlation is evident. X-ray selection preferentially samples this high-$`\alpha `$ regime. Therefore $`M_R`$-$`\alpha `$ correlations result from galaxies not coincident with X-ray centroids. Such galaxies are less likely to reflect the dynamics of the underlying cluster potential than X-ray centroid coincident BCG(s) in the same host. The existence of $`M_R`$-$`\alpha `$ correlations may signal biases in selection procedure via inclusion of poor tracers of cluster peculiar velocity. Since homogeneous samples of X-ray coincident sources fail to improve BCG reliability as standard candles, perhaps their usefulness in cosmic flow studies has been overstated.