A MEASUREMENT OF THE HUBBLE CONSTANT FROM THE X-RAY-PROPERTIES AND THE SUNYAEV-ZELDOVICH EFFECT OF CL-0016+16

A value of the Hubble constant has been determined from a comparison o f the X-ray properties and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect of the distant ric h cluster of galaxies CL 0016 + 16. The cluster, as imaged by the ROSA T PSPC, is significantly elliptical, and we present the techniques we have developed to include this in our analysis. Assuming a smooth, iso thermal gas distribution, we obtain a value H-0 = 47(-15)(+23) km s(-1 ) Mpc(-1), where the errors include systematic and random uncertaintie s but are purely observational. Systematic errors in deprojecting the elliptical surface brightness distribution due to prolate and oblate g eometries as well as arbitrary inclination angles, introduce an additi onal fractional error of +/-17% in H-0. At the redshift of CL 0016 + 1 6 (z = 0.5455) the effect of the cosmological parameters on the derive d H-0 value is of order 10%-20%; we quote results for q(0) = 0.1. Comb ining this result with X-ray/SZ effect H-0 determinations from seven o ther clusters and taking account of systematic uncertainties in our mo dels for the cluster atmosphere, we find an ensemble value of H-0 = 42 -61 km s(-1) Mpc(-1) with an additional random error of +/-16%.