The XMM-LSS survey. Survey design and first results^*

The XMM Large Scale Structure survey (XMM-LSS) is a medium deep large area X-ray survey. Its goal is to extend large scale structure investigations attempted using ROSAT cluster samples to two redshift bins between 0<z<1 while maintaining the precision of earlier studies. Two main goals have constrained the survey design: the evolutionary study of the cluster–cluster correlation function and of the cluster number density. The adopted observing configuration consists of an equatorial mosaic of 10 ks pointings, separated by and covering 8° × 8°, giving a pointsource sensitivity of in the 0.5–2 keV band. This will yield more than 800 clusters of galaxies and a sample of X-ray AGN with a space density of about 300 deg⁻². We present the expected cosmological implications of the survey in the context of ΛCDM models and cluster evolution. We give an overview of the first observational results.

The XMM-LSS survey is associated with several other major surveys, ranging from the UV to the radio wavebands, which will provide the necessary resources for X-ray source identification and further statistical studies. In particular, the associated CFHTLS weak lensing and AMiBA Sunyaev–Zel'dovich surveys over the entire XMM-LSS area will provide for the first time a comprehensive study of the mass distribution and of cluster physics in the universe on scales of a few hundred Mpc. We describe the main characteristics of our wavelet-based X-ray pipeline and source identification procedures, including the classification of the cluster candidates by means of a photometric redshift analysis. This permits the selection of suitable targets for spectroscopic follow-up. We present preliminary results from the first 25 XMM-LSS pointings: X-ray source properties, optical counterparts, and highlights from the first Magellan and VLT/FORS2 spectroscopic runs as well as preliminary results from the NIR search for z>1 clusters. The results are promising and, so far, in accordance with our predictions. In particular: (1) we reproduce the logN–logS distribution for point sources obtained from deeper surveys at our sensitivity; (2) we find a cluster number density of 15–20 deg⁻²; (3) for the first time, we statistically sample the group mass regime at a redshift out to .