Spitzer Space Telescope - Snapshot Proposal #80154


A Snapshot Survey of Galaxy Clusters around High-Redshift Quasars

Principal Investigator: Daniel Stern
           Institution: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

     Technical Contact: Daniel Stern, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Co-Investigators: 
Audrey Galametz, JPL/Caltech                                          
Nicholas Seymour, MSSL                                                
Carlos De Breuck, ESO                                                 
Mark Brodwin, CfA                                                     
Peter Eisenhardt, JPL/Caltech                                         
James Falder, University of Hertfordshire                             
Anthony Gonzalez, University of Florida                               
Nina Hatch, University of Nottingham                                  
Matthew Jarvis, University of Hertfordshire                           
Conor Mancone, University of Florida                                  
S. Adam Stanford, UC-Davis                                            
Jason Stevens, University of Hertfordshire                            
Joel Vernet, ESO                                                      

Science Category: galaxy clusters and groups(high-z) 
  Hours Approved: 289.4 

Abstract:
Extensive literature clearly demonstrates that powerful, radio?loud AGN are
preferentially located in rich environments. We propose to take advantage of
that tendency by obtaining a snapshot survey of rich galaxy clusters associated
with radio?loud AGN at z>2. This proposal extends our successful Cycle 7
snapshot program identifying clusters around radio-loud AGN at 1.3<z<2. Galaxy
clusters are unique laboratories for studying the formation and evolution of
massive galaxies. Previous results suggest that significant assembly of the red
sequence occurs at z>1.3. Our proposed program will enhance the number of
clusters known at high redshift, and will be sufficiently deep to measure the
luminosity function, including its faint end slope, to ~m*+2. We will study
evolutionary trends, the relationship between radio power and environment, as
well as probe AGN unification models by comparing the environments of radio
galaxies to a matched sample of radio?loud quasars.