We present the largest sample of spectroscopically confirmed X-ray luminous high-redshift galaxy clusters to date comprising 22 systems in the range 0.9 < z < ∼ 1.6 as part of the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project (XDCP). All systems were initially selected as extended X-ray sources over 76.1 deg 2 of non-contiguous deep archival XMM-Newton coverage, of which 49.4 deg 2 are part of the core survey with a quantifiable selection function and 17.7 deg 2 are classified as 'gold' coverage as starting point for upcoming cosmological applications. Distant cluster candidates were followed-up with moderately deep optical and near-infrared imaging in at least two bands to photometrically identify the cluster galaxy populations and obtain redshift estimates based on colors of simple stellar population models. We test and calibrate the most promising redshift estimation techniques based on the R−z and z−H colors for efficient distant cluster identifications and find a good redshift accuracy performance of the z−H color out to at least z∼1.5, while the redshift evolution of the R−z color leads to increasingly large uncertainties at z > ∼ 0.9. Photometrically identified high-z systems are spectroscopically confirmed with VLT/FORS 2 with a minimum of three concordant cluster member redshifts. We present first details of two newly identified clusters, ‡ Based on observations under program IDs 079.A-0634 and 085.A-0647 collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, and observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated jointly by the Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC).§ Visiting astronomer at MPE.The X-ray luminous galaxy cluster population at 0.9 < z ≤ 1.6 as revealed by the XDCP 2 XDCP J0338.5+0029 at z=0.916 and XDCP J0027.2+1714 at z=0.959, and investigate the Xray properties of SpARCS J003550-431224 at z=1.335, which shows evidence for ongoing major merger activity along the line-of-sight. We provide X-ray properties and luminositybased total mass estimates for the full sample of 22 high-z clusters, of which 17 are at z ≥ 1.0 and 7 populate the highest redshift bin at z > 1.3. The median system mass of the sample is M 200 ≃ 2 × 10 14 M ⊙ , while the probed mass range for the distant clusters spans approximately (0.7-7)×10 14 M ⊙ . The majority (>70%) of the X-ray selected clusters show rather regular Xray morphologies, albeit in most cases with a discernible elongation along one axis. In contrast to local clusters, the z > 0.9 systems do mostly not harbor central dominant galaxies coincident with the X-ray centroid position, but rather exhibit significant BCG offsets from the X-ray center with a median value of about 50 kpc in projection and a smaller median luminosity gap to the second-ranked galaxy of ∆m 12 ≃ 0.3 mag. We estimate a fraction of cluster-associated NVSS 1.4 GHz radio sources of about 30%, preferentially located within 1 ′ from the X-ray center. This value sugge...

Context. Observational galaxy cluster studies at z > 1.5 probe the formation of the first massive M > 10 14 M dark matter halos, the early thermal history of the hot ICM, and the emergence of the red-sequence population of quenched early-type galaxies. Aims. We present first results for the newly discovered X-ray luminous galaxy cluster XMMU J1007.4+1237 at z = 1.555, detected and confirmed by the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project (XDCP) survey. Methods. We selected the system as a serendipitous weak extended X-ray source in XMM-Newton archival data and followed it up with two-band near-infrared imaging and deep optical spectroscopy. Results. We can establish XMMU J1007.4+1237 as a spectroscopically confirmed, massive, bona fide galaxy cluster with a bolometric X-ray luminosity of L bol X,500 (2.1 ± 0.4) × 10 44 erg/s, a red galaxy population centered on the X-ray emission, and a central radio-loud brightest cluster galaxy. However, we see evidence for the first time that the massive end of the galaxy population and the cluster red-sequence are not yet fully in place. In particular, we find ongoing starburst activity for the third ranked galaxy close to the center and another slightly fainter object. Conclusions. At a lookback time of 9.4 Gyr, the cluster galaxy population appears to be caught in an important evolutionary phase, prior to full star-formation quenching and mass assembly in the core region. X-ray selection techniques are an efficient means of identifying and probing the most distant clusters without any prior assumptions about their galaxy content.

Context. XMMU J1229+0151 is a rich galaxy cluster with redshift z = 0.975 that was serendipitously detected in X-rays within the scope of the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project. Both HST/ACS observations in the i 775 and z 850 passbands and VLT/FORS2 spectroscopy were obtained, in addition to follow-up Near-Infrared (NIR) imaging in the J-and Ks-bands with NTT/SOFI. Aims. We investigate the photometric, structural, and spectral properties of the early-type galaxies in the high-redshift cluster XMMU J1229+0151. Methods. Source detection and aperture photometry are performed in the optical and NIR imaging. Galaxy morphology is inspected visually and by means of Sersic profile fitting to the 21 spectroscopically confirmed cluster members in the ACS field of view. The i 775 − z 850 colour−magnitude relation (CMR) is derived with a method based on galaxy magnitudes obtained by fitting the surface brightness of the galaxies with Sersic models. Stellar masses and formation ages of the cluster galaxies are derived by fitting the observed spectral energy distributions (SED) with models developed by Bruzual & Charlot. Star-formation histories of the early-type galaxies are constrained by analysing the stacked spectrophotometric data. Results. The structural Sersic index n obtained by model fitting agrees with the visual morphological classification of the confirmed members, indicating a clear predominance of elliptical galaxies (15/21). The i 775 − z 850 colour−magnitude relation of the spectroscopic members shows a very tight red-sequence with a zero point of 0.86 ± 0.04 mag, and intrinsic scatter equal to 0.039 mag. The CMR obtained with the galaxy models has similar parameters. By fitting both the spectra and SED of the early-type population, we obtain a star-formation-weighted age of 4.3 Gyr for a median galaxy stellar-mass of 7.4 × 10 10 M . Instead of identifying a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) unambiguously, we find three bright galaxies with a similar z 850 magnitude, which are, in addition, the most massive cluster members, with ∼2 × 10 11 M . Our results strengthen the current evidence of a lack of significant evolution in both the scatter and slope of the red-sequence out to z ∼ 1.

From optical photometry we show that SDSS J121258.25-012310.1 is a new eclipsing, post common-envelope binary with an orbital period of 8.06 h and an eclipse length of 23 min. We observed the object over 11 nights in different bands and determined the ephemeris of the eclipse to HJD mid = 2 454 104.7086(2) + 0.3358706(5) × E, where numbers in parenthesis indicate the uncertainties in the last digit. The depth of the eclipse is 2.85 ± 0.17 mag in the V band, 1.82 ± 0.08 mag in the R band and 0.52 ± 0.02 mag in the I band. From spectroscopic observations we measured the semi-amplitude of the radial velocity K 2 = 181± 3 km s −1 for the secondary star. The stellar and binary parameters of the system were constrained from a) fitting the SDSS composite spectrum of the binary, b) using a K-band luminosty-mass relation for the secondary star, and c) from detailed analyses of the eclipse light curve. The white dwarf has an effective temperature of 17 700 ± 300 K, and its surface gravity is log g = 7.53 ± 0.2. We estimate that the spectral type of the red dwarf is M4 ± 1 and the distance to the system is 230 ± 20 parsec. The mass of the secondary star is estimated to be in the range M sec = 0.26−0.29 M , while the mass of the white dwarf is most likely M wd = 0.46−0.48 M . From an empirical mass-radius relation we estimate the radius of the red dwarf to be in the range 0.28−0.31 R , whereas we get R wd = 0.016−0.018 R from a theoretical mass-radius realation. Finally we discuss the spectral energy distribution and the likely evolutionary state of SDSS1212-0123.

Aims. In the distant universe X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies are rare objects. Large area surveys are therefore needed to probe the high luminosity end of the cluster population at redshifts z > ∼ 1. Methods. We correlated extended X-ray sources from the second XMM-Newton source catalogue (2XMM) with the SDSS in order to identify new clusters of galaxies. Distant cluster candidates in empty SDSS fields were imaged in the r-and z-bands with the Large Binocular Telescope. We extracted the X-ray spectra of the cluster candidates and fitted thermal plasma models to the data. Results. We determined the redshift 0.99 ± 0.03 for 2XMM J083026.2+524133 from its X-ray spectrum. With a bolometric luminosity of 1.8 × 10 45 erg s −1 this is the most X-ray luminous cluster at redshifts z ≥ 1. We measured a gas temperature of 8.2 ± 0.9 keV and estimate a cluster mass M 500 = 5.6 × 10 14 M . The optical imaging revealed a rich cluster of galaxies.