Context. Counting clusters is one of the methods to constrain cosmological parameters, but has been limited up to now both by the redshift range and by the relatively small sizes of the homogeneously surveyed areas. Aims. In order to enlarge publicly available optical cluster catalogs, in particular at high redshift, we have performed a systematic search for clusters of galaxies in the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). Methods. We considered the deep 2, 3 and 4 CFHTLS Deep fields (each 1 × 1 deg 2 ), as well as the wide 1, 3 and 4 CFHTLS Wide fields. We used the Le Phare photometric redshifts for the galaxies detected in these fields with magnitude limits of i = 25 and 23 for the Deep and Wide fields respectively. We then constructed galaxy density maps in photometric redshift bins of 0.1 based on an adaptive kernel technique and detected structures with SExtractor at various detection levels. In order to assess the validity of our cluster detection rates, we applied a similar procedure to galaxies in Millennium simulations. We measured the correlation function of our cluster candidates. We analyzed large scale properties and substructures, including filaments, by applying a minimal spanning tree algorithm both to our data and to the Millennium simulations. Results. We detected 1200 candidate clusters with various masses (minimal masses between 1.0 × 10 13 and 5.5 × 10 13 and mean masses between 1.3 × 10 14 and 12.6 × 10 14 M ) in the CFHTLS Deep and Wide fields, thus notably increasing the number of known high redshift cluster candidates. We found a correlation function for these objects comparable to that obtained for high redshift cluster surveys. We also show that the CFHTLS deep survey is able to trace the large scale structure of the universe up to z ≥ 1. Our detections are fully consistent with those made in various CFHTLS analyses with other methods. We now need accurate mass determinations of these structures to constrain cosmological parameters. Conclusions. We have shown that a search for galaxy clusters based on density maps built from galaxy catalogs in photometric redshift bins is successful and gives results comparable to or better than those obtained with other methods. By applying this technique to the CFHTLS survey we have increased the number of known optical high redshift cluster candidates by a large factor, an important step towards using cluster counts to measure cosmological parameters.

We have obtained deep and wide field imaging of the Coma cluster of galaxies with the CFH12K camera at CFHT in the B, V, R and I filters. In this paper, we present the observations, data reduction, catalogs and first scientific results. We investigated the quality of our data by internal and external literature comparisons. We also checked the realisation of the observational requirements we set. Our observations cover two partially overlapping areas of 42 × 28 arcmin 2 , leading to a total area of 0.72 × 0.82 deg 2 . We have produced catalogs of objects that cover a range of more than 10 mag. and are complete at the 90% level at B ∼ 25, V ∼ 24, R ∼ 24 and I ∼ 23.5 for stellar-like objects, and at B ∼ 22, V ∼ 21, R ∼ 20.75 and I ∼ 20.5 for faint low-surface-brightness galaxy-like objects. Magnitudes are in good agreement with published values from R ∼ 16 to R ∼ 25. The photometric uncertainties are of the order of 0.1 mag at R ∼ 20 and of 0.3 mag at R ∼ 25. Astrometry is accurate to 0.5 arcsec and also in good agreement with published data. Our catalog provides a rich dataset that can be mined for years to come to gain new insights into the formation and evolution of the Coma cluster and its galaxy population. As an illustration of the data quality, we examine the bright part of the Colour Magnitude Relation (B−R versus R) derived from the catalog and find that it is in excellent agreement with that derived for galaxies with redshifts in the Coma cluster, and with previous CMRs estimated in the literature.

Context. Cosmological parameters can be constrained by counting clusters of galaxies as a function of mass and redshift and by considering regions of the sky sampled as deeply and as homogeneously as possible. Aims. Several methods for detecting clusters in large imaging surveys have been developed, among which the one used here, which is based on detecting structures. This method was first applied to the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) Deep 1 field by Mazure et al. (2007, A&A, 467, 49), then to all the Deep and Wide CFHTLS fields available in the T0004 data release by Adami et al. (2010, A&A, 509, A81). The validity of the cluster detection rate was estimated by applying the same procedure to galaxies from the Millennium simulation. Here we use the same method to analyse the full CFHTLS Wide survey, based on the T0006 data release. Methods. Our method is based on the photometric redshifts computed with Le Phare for all the galaxies detected in the Wide fields, limited to magnitudes z ≤ 22.5. We constructed galaxy density maps in photometric redshift bins of 0.1 based on an adaptive kernel technique, detected structures with SExtractor at various detection levels, and built cluster catalogues by applying a minimal spanning tree algorithm. Results. In a total area of 154 deg 2 , we have detected 4061 candidate clusters at 3σ or above (6802 at 2σ and above), in the redshift range 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 1.15, with estimated mean masses between 1.3 × 10 14 and 12.6 × 10 14 M . This catalogue of candidate clusters will be available at the CDS. We compare our detections with those made in various CFHTLS analyses with other methods. By stacking a subsample of clusters, we show that this subsample has typical cluster characteristics (colour−magnitude relation, galaxy luminosity function). We also confirm that the cluster-cluster correlation function is comparable to the one obtained for other cluster surveys and analyse large-scale filamentary galaxy distributions. Conclusions. We have increased the number of known optical high-redshift cluster candidates by a large factor, an important step towards obtaining reliable cluster counts to measure cosmological parameters. The clusters that we detect behave as expected if they are located at the intersection of filaments by which they are fed.

While our current cosmological model places galaxy clusters at the nodes of a filament network (the cosmic web), we still struggle to detect these filaments at high redshifts. We perform a weak lensing study for a sample of 16 massive, medium-high redshift (0.4 < z < 0.9) galaxy clusters from the DAFT/FADA survey, which are imaged in at least three optical bands with Subaru/SuprimeCam or CFHT/MegaCam. We estimate the cluster masses using an NFW fit to the shear profile measured in a KSB-like method, adding our contribution to the calibration of the observable-mass relation required for cluster abundance cosmological studies. We compute convergence maps and select structures within these maps, securing their detection with noise resampling techniques. Taking advantage of the large field of view of our data, we study cluster environment, adding information from galaxy density maps at the cluster redshift and from X-ray images when available. We find that clusters show a large variety of weak lensing maps at large scales and that they may all be embedded in filamentary structures at megaparsec scale. We classify these clusters in three categories according to the smoothness of their weak lensing contours and to the amount of substructures: relaxed (∼7%), past mergers (∼21.5%), and recent or present mergers (∼71.5%). The fraction of clusters undergoing merging events observationally supports the hierarchical scenario of cluster growth, and implies that massive clusters are strongly evolving at the studied redshifts. Finally, we report the detection of unusually elongated structures in CLJ0152, MACSJ0454, MACSJ0717, A851, BMW1226, MACSJ1621, and MS1621.

Context. The DAFT/FADA survey is based on the study of ∼90 rich (masses found in the literature >2 × 10 14 M ) and moderately distant clusters (redshifts 0.4 < z < 0.9), all with HST imaging data available. This survey has two main objectives: to constrain dark energy (DE) using weak lensing tomography on galaxy clusters and to build a database (deep multi-band imaging allowing photometric redshift estimates, spectroscopic data, X-ray data) of rich distant clusters to study their properties. Aims. We analyse the structures of all the clusters in the DAFT/FADA survey for which XMM-Newton and/or a sufficient number of galaxy redshifts in the cluster range are available, with the aim of detecting substructures and evidence for merging events. These properties are discussed in the framework of standard cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology. Methods. In X-rays, we analysed the XMM-Newton data available, fit a β-model, and subtracted it to identify residuals. We used Chandra data, when available, to identify point sources. In the optical, we applied a Serna & Gerbal (SG) analysis to clusters with at least 15 spectroscopic galaxy redshifts available in the cluster range. We discuss the substructure detection efficiencies of both methods.Results. XMM-Newton data were available for 32 clusters, for which we derive the X-ray luminosity and a global X-ray temperature for 25 of them. For 23 clusters we were able to fit the X-ray emissivity with a β-model and subtract it to detect substructures in the X-ray gas. A dynamical analysis based on the SG method was applied to the clusters having at least 15 spectroscopic galaxy redshifts in the cluster range: 18 X-ray clusters and 11 clusters with no X-ray data. The choice of a minimum number of 15 redshifts implies that only major substructures will be detected. Ten substructures were detected both in X-rays and by the SG method. Most of the substructures detected both in X-rays and with the SG method are probably at their first cluster pericentre approach and are relatively recent infalls. We also find hints of a decreasing X-ray gas density profile core radius with redshift. Conclusions. The percentage of mass included in substructures was found to be roughly constant with redshift values of 5-15%, in agreement both with the general CDM framework and with the results of numerical simulations. Galaxies in substructures show the same general behaviour as regular cluster galaxies; however, in substructures, there is a deficiency of both late type and old stellar population galaxies. Late type galaxies with recent bursts of star formation seem to be missing in the substructures close to the bottom of the host cluster potential well. However, our sample would need to be increased to allow a more robust analysis.