The Vimos VLT deep survey: compact structures in the CDFS

• Published in: Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin) 2005-12, Vol.443 (3), p.805-818
• Main Authors: Adami, C., Mazure, A., Ilbert, O., Cappi, A., Bottini, D., Garilli, B., Le Brun, V., Le Fèvre, O., Maccagni, D., Picat, J. P., Scaramella, R., Scodeggio, M., Tresse, L., Vettolani, G., Zanichelli, A., Arnaboldi, M., Arnouts, S., Bardelli, S., Bolzonella, M., Charlot, S., Ciliegi, P., Contini, T., Covone, G., Foucaud, S., Franzetti, P., Gavignaud, I., Guzzo, L., Iovino, A., Lauger, S., McCracken, H. J., Marano, B., Marinoni, C., Meneux, B., Merighi, R., Paltani, S., Pellò, R., Pollo, A., Pozzetti, L., Radovich, M., Zamorani, G., Zucca, E., Bondi, M., Bongiorno, A., Busarello, G., Gregorini, L., Mathez, G., Mellier, Y., Merluzzi, P., Ripepi, V., Rizzo, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics; Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics; cosmology: large-scale structure of Universe; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; galaxies: clusters: general; Physics
• ISSN: 0004-6361; 1432-0746; 1432-0756
• DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20053202

We used the Vimos VLT Deep Survey in combination with other spectroscopic, photometric, and X-ray surveys from the literature to detect several galaxy structures in the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS). Both a friend-of-friend-based algorithm applied to the spectroscopic redshift catalog and an adaptative kernel galaxy density and color maps correlated with photometric redshift estimates were used. 
We mainly detected a chain-like structure at $z=0.66$ and two massive groups at $z=0.735$ and 1.098 showing signs of ongoing collapse. We also detected two galaxy walls at $z=0.66$ and at $z=0.735$ (extremely compact in redshift space). The first one contains the chain-like structure and the last one contains one of the two massive groups in its center. Finally, other galaxy structures that are probably loose low mass groups were detected. 
We compared the group galaxy population with simulations in order to assess the richness of these structures and studied their galaxy morphological contents. The higher redshift structures appear to probably have lower velocity dispersion than the nearby ones. The number of moderately massive structures we detected is consistent with what is expected for an LCDM model, but a larger sample is required to put significant cosmological constraints.