NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey (NFP)

A Peculiar Velocity Survey of Rich Clusters within 200 h^-1 Mpc

• Mike Hudson (U Waterloo) (PI)
• John Lucey (Durham)
• Jenica Nelan (Dartmouth and Yale)
• David Schade (CADC/HIA)
• Russell Smith (Waterloo and Durham)
• Nick Suntzeff (CTIO)
• Gary Wegner (Dartmouth)

Introduction The peculiar velocity field is the only probe of the mass distribution on large scales (>~ 10 h^-1 Mpc) in the nearby Universe. In particular, the bulk flow of the local volume with respect to the CMB probes the very largest scales. Some recent bulk flow results are apparently in conflict, possibly due to the systematics arising from the wide range of instrumentation used by the different groups.

We have begun a deep, homogeneous, all-sky spectroscopic and photometric study of 100 X-ray selected clusters within 200 h^-1 Mpc. Using the Fundamental Plane distance indicator, we will make an independent determination of the large-scale flow of clusters of galaxies with respect to the CMB. With 4000 early-type galaxies (a factor of 5 increase over current FP surveys), we expect combined random and systematic errors to be <~ 120 km/s for each component of the bulk flow vector. This goal can only be accomplished by a survey program which guarantees access to identical instrumentation over the course of the survey. The resulting photometric and spectroscopic database will be a unique and valuable resource to the community for studies of galaxy morphology, stellar populations and galaxy evolution in the cluster environment.

Cluster Target List

1st incremental data release

Papers

• Nelan, J. E., Smith, R. J., Hudson, M. J., Wegner, G. A., Lucey, J. R., Moore, S. A. W., Quinney, S. J. & Suntzeff, N. B. 2005 NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey -- II. Age and Metallicity along the Red Sequence Preprint
   
• Smith, R. J., Hudson, M. J., Nelan, J. E., Moore, S. A. W., Quinney, S. J., Wegner, G. A., Lucey, J. R., Davies, R. L., Malecki, J. J., Schade, D. & Suntzeff, N. B. 2004, Astronomical Journal NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey. I. Survey Design, Redshifts, and Velocity Dispersion Data
   

Conference Proceedings

• Nelan J. E., Wegner G. A., Smith R. J., Hudson M. J., Malecki J. J., Lucey J. R., Moore S. A. W., Quinney S. J., Schade D., Suntzeff N. B., and Davies R. L., 2003, Recent Results from the NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey, in The Emergence of Cosmic Structure: Thirteenth Astrophysics Conference, eds. Stephen S. Holt, Christopher S. Reynolds, Abstract , PS
   
• Hudson M. J., Lucey J. R., Malecki J.J., Moore S.A.W., Nelan J.E., Quinney S.J., Schade D., Smith, R. J., Suntzeff N.B., Wegner G.A., 2003, Early-type galaxies in the NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey, in Galaxy Evolution: Theory and Observations', eds. Avila-Reese V., Firmani C., Frenk C., & Allen C., Rev Mex AA SC 17, 177-178. PDF
   
• Smith R. J., Hudson M. J., Willick J. A., Davies R. L., Lucey J. R., Moore S. A. W., Quinney S. J., Schade D., Suntzeff N. B., Wegner G. A., 2000, The NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey of X-ray Selected Clusters to 200 h^-1 Mpc, in The New Era of Wide Field Astronomy, eds. R.G. Clowes, A.J. Adamson, G.E. Bromage, ASP Conf Series. Postscript
   

NFP private site (restricted access)