TY - JOUR
T1 - EDisCS - The ESO distant cluster survey. Sample definition and optical photometry
AU - White, S. D.M.
AU - Clowe, D. I.
AU - Simard, L.
AU - Rudnick, G.
AU - De Lucia, G.
AU - Aragón-Salamanca, A.
AU - Bender, R.
AU - Best, P.
AU - Bremer, M.
AU - Charlot, S.
AU - Dalcanton, J.
AU - Dantel, M.
AU - Desai, V.
AU - Fort, B.
AU - Halliday, C.
AU - Jablonka, P.
AU - Kauffmann, G.
AU - Mellier, Y.
AU - Milvang-Jensen, B.
AU - Pelló, R.
AU - Poggianti, B.
AU - Poirier, S.
AU - Rottgering, H.
AU - Saglia, R.
AU - Schneider, P.
AU - Zaritsky, D.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - We present the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS), a survey of 20 fields containing distant galaxy clusters with redshifts ranging from 0.4 to almost 1.0. Candidate clusters were chosen from among the brightest objects identified in the Las Campanas Distant Cluster Survey, half with estimated redshift z est ∼0.5 and half with zest ∼0.8. They were confirmed by identifying red sequences in moderately deep two colour data from VLT/FORS2. For confirmed candidates we have assembled deep three-band optical photometry using VLT/FORS2, deep near-infrared photometry in one or two bands using NTT/SOFI, deep optical spectroscopy using VLT/FORS2, wide field imaging in two or three bands using the ESO Wide Field Imager, and HST/ACS mosaic images for 10 of the most distant clusters. This first paper presents our sample and the VLT photometry we have obtained. We present images, colour-magnitude diagrams and richness estimates for our clusters, as well as giving redshifts and positions for the brightest cluster members. Subsequent papers will present our infrared photometry, spectroscopy, HST and wide-field imaging, as well as a wealth of further analysis and science results. Our reduced data become publicly available as these papers are accepted.
AB - We present the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS), a survey of 20 fields containing distant galaxy clusters with redshifts ranging from 0.4 to almost 1.0. Candidate clusters were chosen from among the brightest objects identified in the Las Campanas Distant Cluster Survey, half with estimated redshift z est ∼0.5 and half with zest ∼0.8. They were confirmed by identifying red sequences in moderately deep two colour data from VLT/FORS2. For confirmed candidates we have assembled deep three-band optical photometry using VLT/FORS2, deep near-infrared photometry in one or two bands using NTT/SOFI, deep optical spectroscopy using VLT/FORS2, wide field imaging in two or three bands using the ESO Wide Field Imager, and HST/ACS mosaic images for 10 of the most distant clusters. This first paper presents our sample and the VLT photometry we have obtained. We present images, colour-magnitude diagrams and richness estimates for our clusters, as well as giving redshifts and positions for the brightest cluster members. Subsequent papers will present our infrared photometry, spectroscopy, HST and wide-field imaging, as well as a wealth of further analysis and science results. Our reduced data become publicly available as these papers are accepted.
KW - Galaxies: clusters: general
KW - Galaxies: evolution
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U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361:20042068
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361:20042068
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:29144534234
VL - 444
SP - 365
EP - 379
JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics
JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics
SN - 0004-6361
IS - 2
ER -