The scale dependence of relative galaxy bias: Encouragement for the "halo model" description

Michael R. Blanton; Daniel Eisenstein; David W. Hogg; Idit Zehavi

doi:10.1086/500918

The scale dependence of relative galaxy bias: Encouragement for the "halo model" description

Michael R. Blanton, Daniel Eisenstein, David W. Hogg, Idit Zehavi

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We investigate the relationship between the colors, luminosities, and environments of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic sample, using environmental measurements on scales ranging from 0.2 to 6 h^-1 Mpc. We find that (1) the relationship between color and environment persists even to the lowest luminosities we probe (M_r - 5 log₁₀h ∼ -14); (2) at luminosities and colors for which the galaxy correlation function has a large amplitude, it also has a steep slope; and (3) in regions of a given overdensity on small scales (1 h^-1 Mpc), the overdensity on large scales (6 h^-1 Mpc) does not appear to relate to the recent star formation history of the galaxies. Of these results, the last has the most immediate application to galaxy formation theory. In particular, it lends support to the notion that a galaxy's properties are related only to the mass of its host dark matter halo, and not to the larger scale environment.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	977-985
Number of pages	9
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	645
Issue number	2 I
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/500918
State	Published - Jul 10 2006

Keywords

Galaxies: clusters: general
Galaxies: fundamental parameters
Galaxies: statistics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1086/500918

Cite this

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title = "The scale dependence of relative galaxy bias: Encouragement for the {"}halo model{"} description",

abstract = "We investigate the relationship between the colors, luminosities, and environments of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic sample, using environmental measurements on scales ranging from 0.2 to 6 h-1 Mpc. We find that (1) the relationship between color and environment persists even to the lowest luminosities we probe (Mr - 5 log10h ∼ -14); (2) at luminosities and colors for which the galaxy correlation function has a large amplitude, it also has a steep slope; and (3) in regions of a given overdensity on small scales (1 h-1 Mpc), the overdensity on large scales (6 h-1 Mpc) does not appear to relate to the recent star formation history of the galaxies. Of these results, the last has the most immediate application to galaxy formation theory. In particular, it lends support to the notion that a galaxy's properties are related only to the mass of its host dark matter halo, and not to the larger scale environment.",

keywords = "Galaxies: clusters: general, Galaxies: fundamental parameters, Galaxies: statistics",

author = "Blanton, {Michael R.} and Daniel Eisenstein and Hogg, {David W.} and Idit Zehavi",

year = "2006",

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doi = "10.1086/500918",

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T2 - Encouragement for the "halo model" description

AU - Blanton, Michael R.

AU - Eisenstein, Daniel

AU - Hogg, David W.

AU - Zehavi, Idit

PY - 2006/7/10

Y1 - 2006/7/10

N2 - We investigate the relationship between the colors, luminosities, and environments of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic sample, using environmental measurements on scales ranging from 0.2 to 6 h-1 Mpc. We find that (1) the relationship between color and environment persists even to the lowest luminosities we probe (Mr - 5 log10h ∼ -14); (2) at luminosities and colors for which the galaxy correlation function has a large amplitude, it also has a steep slope; and (3) in regions of a given overdensity on small scales (1 h-1 Mpc), the overdensity on large scales (6 h-1 Mpc) does not appear to relate to the recent star formation history of the galaxies. Of these results, the last has the most immediate application to galaxy formation theory. In particular, it lends support to the notion that a galaxy's properties are related only to the mass of its host dark matter halo, and not to the larger scale environment.

AB - We investigate the relationship between the colors, luminosities, and environments of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic sample, using environmental measurements on scales ranging from 0.2 to 6 h-1 Mpc. We find that (1) the relationship between color and environment persists even to the lowest luminosities we probe (Mr - 5 log10h ∼ -14); (2) at luminosities and colors for which the galaxy correlation function has a large amplitude, it also has a steep slope; and (3) in regions of a given overdensity on small scales (1 h-1 Mpc), the overdensity on large scales (6 h-1 Mpc) does not appear to relate to the recent star formation history of the galaxies. Of these results, the last has the most immediate application to galaxy formation theory. In particular, it lends support to the notion that a galaxy's properties are related only to the mass of its host dark matter halo, and not to the larger scale environment.

KW - Galaxies: clusters: general

KW - Galaxies: fundamental parameters

KW - Galaxies: statistics

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JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 2 I

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The scale dependence of relative galaxy bias: Encouragement for the "halo model" description

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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