The ClustersXCosmo ERC Starting Grant project has the goal of investigating the role of Galaxy Clusters as a cosmological probe and of exploiting the strong synergies between observational cosmology, galaxy formation and fundamental physics related to the most massive objects of the Universe. In the last decade, astronomical data-sets have started to be widely and quantitatively used by the scientific community to address important physical questions such as: the nature of the dark matter and dark energy components and their evolution; the nature of gravity on cosmological scales; the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Galaxy clusters provide a complementary and necessary approach to other, more standard, cosmological tests, as their distribution as a function of time is sensitive to both the geometrical and the dynamical evolution of the Universe, driven by the growth of cosmic structures. Among different cluster surveys, clusters detected via their Sunyaev Zel'Dovich effect (SZE) imprint (a distortion caused by the cluster's hot atmosphere on the cosmic microwave background) have registered the most dramatic improvement over the last decade, yielding samples extending up to the earliest times these systems appeared. This project aims at using a combination of the best available SZE cluster surveys and to interpret them by means of state-of-the-art computational facilities in order to firmly establish the yet controversial role of Galaxy Clusters as a probe for cosmology, fundamental physics and astrophysics.
Firstly, we have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by conducting the first joint analysis of cluster samples selected across different wavelengths, including optical and Sunyaev Zel'Dovich (SZ) effect in the millimeter range. This comprehensive approach has allowed for a more nuanced understanding of galaxy clusters, enhancing our ability to use them as probes for studying the Universe.
Secondly, our project has been pivotal in providing the first uniformly selected sample studies of the galaxy population in high-redshift clusters selected through their Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM) imprint. This has opened new avenues for exploring the early stages of galaxy cluster formation and the evolution of galaxies within these massive structures.
Lastly, we have made a landmark discovery by providing the first evidence of the formation of the intracluster medium (ICM) in a forming protocluster, including the most distant SZ detection to date. This finding is crucial as it sheds light on the early stages of cluster formation, offering valuable insights into the processes that govern the evolution of the Universe's most massive objects.
