Atacama Cosmology Telescope Sunyaev-Zeldovich Galaxy Cluster Catalog

2008-2018 observations from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope produced a catalog of 4,195 optically confirmed galaxy clusters detected via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. The catalog includes 222 high-redshift clusters (z > 1), 868 new discoveries, and covers a sky area of 13,211 square degrees. It was created by NASA HEASARC and ingested in February 2021.

Use Cases

• Analyze the redshift distribution of 4,195 clusters, including 222 with z > 1, to study large-scale structure evolution.
• Calibrate the SZ-signal vs. mass scaling relation using the catalog's 90% completeness mass limit of M_500c > 3.8e14 M_sol at z=0.5.
• Cross-match cluster positions with optical weak-lensing surveys like DES, HSC-SSP, and KiDS for mass calibration studies.
• Investigate the properties of the 868 newly discovered galaxy clusters compared to known systems.

Strengths

• Contains 4,195 confirmed galaxy clusters, a substantial sample for cosmological studies.
• Spans a broad redshift range from 0.04 to 1.91, with a median of z = 0.52.
• Covers a large surveyed sky area of 13,211 square degrees, providing wide spatial coverage.
• Includes 222 high-redshift (z > 1) clusters and 868 new discoveries, valuable for probing the early universe.

Limitations

• Specific column names and data schema are not provided in the input, complicating immediate analysis.
• Data is from observations ending in 2018 and was ingested in 2021, potentially lacking more recent discoveries.
• The catalog is SZ-selected with a signal-to-noise > 4 threshold, which may introduce selection biases for low-mass clusters.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, sourced from the LAMBDA website.

Collection Method

Clusters detected via a multi-frequency matched filter applied to 98- and 150-GHz maps from ACT observations, with optical confirmation from deep surveys.

Time Range

Observations from 2008 to 2018.

Freshness

Observations from 2008-2018; catalog ingested February 2021. Last platform update recorded as 2026-03-13.

Geography

Sky survey covering 13,211 square degrees, with significant overlap with DES, HSC-SSP, and KiDS weak-lensing survey regions.