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[10.01] Wavelength Doesn't Matter: Optical and X-ray Correlations for Clusters of Galaxies

R. C. Nichol (Carnegie Mellon University), A. Melott (University of Kansas), C. J. Miller (University of Maine)

We examine the relationship between X-ray and optical luminosities of two distinct cluster catalogs. The first catalog, from Abell, Corwin, and Olowin (1989) was created by the visual examination of photographic plates and is subject to human biases. The second catalog, the Edinburgh-Durham Cluster Catalog was created in a more objective manner using an automated cluster-finding algorithm. We find that the total optical luminosity is proportional to the total X-ray luminosity for both catalogs. Our results suggest that (1) The selection method of galaxy clusters may not be at all crucial, providing wider lattitude in assembling catalogs (2) The optical luminosity per baryon does not vary systematically between systems ranging from groups to very rich clusters.