Statistical properties of galaxy clusters

Abstract

Galaxy clusters are important probes to test cosmological models and interesting large-scale laboratories for astrophysical phenomena. For both applications a precise knowledge of global cluster properties, especially their mass is important. X-ray observations provide still the best key for the evaluation of cluster properties and the description of cluster structure. X-ray observable-cluster property scaling relations are thus reviewed and new systematic galaxy cluster structure surveys with representative cluster samples are described. For the future precision testing of cosmological models we also need established cluster scaling relations for redshifts above one. First results and possible future XMM-Newton large programmes are discussed.