The Dependence of Galaxy Clustering on Luminosity

VALOTTO, C.A.; LAMBAS, D. G.

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL

IOP PUBLISHING LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 1997 vol. 481 p. 594 - 600

0004-637X

We present statistical results of a two-point galaxy-galaxy cross-correlation function analysis. These studies use appropriate cuts in redshift and limiting apparent magnitude in the two catalogs explored and provide useful information about the dependence of galaxy luminosity on local density. We estimate projected two-point cross-correlation functions w(rp) for samples of center galaxies taken from the Las Campanas Redshift Survey with different mean luminosities against Edinburgh/Durham Southern Catalogue L >~ L* galaxies. Power-law best fits for w(rp) with center galaxies L > L* and L < L* give spatial cross-correlation functions with parameters r0 ~= 5.5 +/- 0.2 h-1 Mpc, γ ~= 1.8 +/- 0.2 and r0 ~= 3.5 +/- 0.6 h-1 Mpc, γ ~= 2.2 +/- 0.2, respectively. Possible differences among results of studies of clustering dependence on luminosity reported in previous works might be dominated by systematics because of sample selection effects. Our analyses indicate that the statistical properties of the large-scale distribution of galaxies depend on intrinsic luminosity, arguing against a universal value of the correlation length. Our results suggest a continuous clustering dependence on absolute magnitude, giving support to previous indications that a smaller biasing factor corresponds to low-luminosity galaxies.