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The systematic errors in the virial mass-to-light ratio, Mᵥ/L, of galaxy clusters as an estimator of the field M/L value are assessed. We overlay 14 clusters in redshift space to create an ensemble cluster which averages over substructure and asymmetries. The combined sample, including background, contains about 1150 galaxies, extending to a projected radius of about twice r₂00. The radius r₂00, defined as where the mean interior density is 200 times the critical density, is expected to contain the bulk of the virialized cluster mass. The dynamically derived M (r₂00) /L (r₂00) of the ensemble is 0. 82+/-0. 14. The Mᵥ/L overestimate is attributed to not taking into account the surface pressure term in the virial equation. Under the assumption that the velocity anisotropy parameter is in the range 0<=<=2/3, the galaxy distribution accurately traces the mass profile beyond about the central 0. 3r₂00. There are no color or luminosity gradients in the galaxy population beyond 2r₂00, but there is 0. 11+/-0. 05 mag fading in the r band luminosities between the field and cluster galaxies. We correct the cluster virial mass-to-light ratio, Mᵥ/L=289+/-50 h/ (calculated assuming q₀=0. 1), for the biases in Mᵥ and mean luminosity to estimate the field M/L=213+/-59 h/. With our self-consistently derived field luminosity density, j/c=1136+/-138 h/ (at z~1/3), the corrected M/L indicates ₀=0. 19+/-0. 06+/-0. 04 (formal 1 random error and estimated potential systematic errors).
Carlberg et al. (Tue,) studied this question.