Slack, Nathan William (2011). Simulations for the International X-ray Observatory. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.
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Slack11PhD.pdf
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Abstract
The subject of this thesis is the simulation of X-ray cluster surveys and related issues, with a focus on the research that can be conducted with the International X-ray Observatory (IXO), or a similar next-generation X-ray observatory.
A general purpose X-ray image simulator has been developed. It uses a modern cosmological simulation and cluster scaling relations to produce simulated cluster images that are well motivated by theory and observation. A distribution of point sources and various instrumental effects are also included. The simulator is complemented by a source identification method.
The IXO selection function is mapped over a varying surface brightness parameter space. Simulated IXO surveys are used to explore the biases present in X-ray cluster surveys. These reveal that it is necessary to correct for biases using a detailed and carefully applied selection function to recover the true evolution of the luminosity-temperature relation. This is crucial for shallow surveys.
Simulations of IXO using different angular resolutions are found to have only a minor effect on the number and distribution of detected clusters.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.) | ||||||
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| Award Type: | Doctorates > Ph.D. | ||||||
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| College/Faculty: | Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Engineering & Physical Sciences | ||||||
| School or Department: | School of Physics and Astronomy | ||||||
| Funders: | None/not applicable | ||||||
| Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics |
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| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/1576 |
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