ROSAT observations of ACO clusters

This paper contains a systematic X-ray analysis of 150 clusters with an optical richness classification of R>=2 from the Abell, Corwin, & Olowin (1989; ACO) catalog. All clusters were observed within 45' of the optical axis of the telescope during pointed PSPC observations.

For each cluster, we calculate: the net 0.5-2.0keV PSPC count rate (or 4{sigma} upper limit) in a 1Mpc radius aperture, 0.5-2.0keV flux and luminosity, bolometric luminosity, and X-ray centroid. The cluster sample is then used to examine correlations between the X-ray and optical properties of clusters, derive the X-ray luminosity function of clusters with different optical classifications, and obtain a quantitative estimate of contamination (i.e., the fraction of clusters with an optical richness significantly overestimated due to interloping galaxies) in the ACO catalog.