Ravi K. Sheth

Large‐scale bias and the peak background split

Dark matter haloes are biased tracers of the underlying dark matter distribution. We use a simple model to provide a relation between the abundance of dark matter haloes and their spatial distribution on large scales. Our model shows that knowledge of the unconditional mass function alone is sufficient to provide an accurate estimate of the large-scale bias factor. We then use the mass function measured in numerical simulations of SCDM, OCDM and ΛCDM to compute this bias. Comparison with these simulations shows that this simple way of estimating the bias relation and its evolution is accurate for less massive haloes as well as massive ones. In particular, we show that haloes that are less/more massive than typical M* haloes at the time they form are more/less strongly clustered than is predicted by formulae based on the standard Press–Schechter mass function.

The Three-Dimensional Power Spectrum of Galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We measure the large-scale real-space power spectrum P(k) using a sample of 205,443 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, covering 2417 square degrees with mean redshift z~0.1. We employ a matrix-based method using pseudo-Karhunen-Loeve eigenmodes, producing uncorrelated minimum-variance measurements in 22 k-bands of both the clustering power and its anisotropy due to redshift-space distortions, with narrow and well-behaved window functions in the range 0.02 h/Mpc < k < 0.3h/Mpc. We pay particular attention to modeling, quantifying and correcting for potential systematic errors, nonlinear redshift distortions and the artificial red-tilt caused by luminosity-dependent bias. Our final result is a measurement of the real-space matter power spectrum P(k) up to an unknown overall multiplicative bias factor. Our calculations suggest that this bias factor is independent of scale to better than a few percent for k<0.1h/Mpc, thereby making our results useful for precision measurements of cosmological parameters in conjunction with data from other experiments such as the WMAP satellite. As a simple characterization of the data, our measurements are well fit by a flat scale-invariant adiabatic cosmological model with h Omega_m =0.201+/- 0.017 and L* galaxy sigma_8=0.89 +/- 0.02 when fixing the baryon fraction Omega_b/Omega_m=0.17 and the Hubble parameter h=0.72; cosmological interpretation is given in a companion paper.We measure the large-scale real-space power spectrum P(k) by using a sample of 205,443 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, covering 2417 effective square degrees with mean redshift z ≈ 0.1. We employ a matrix-based method using pseudo-Karhunen-Loeve eigenmodes, producing uncorrelated minimum-variance measurements in 22 k-bands of both the clustering power and its anisotropy due to redshift-space distortions, with narrow and well-behaved window functions in the range 0.02 h Mpc-1 < k < 0.3 h Mpc-1. We pay particular attention to modeling, quantifying, and correcting for potential systematic errors, nonlinear redshift distortions, and the artificial red-tilt caused by luminosity-dependent bias. Our results are robust to omitting angular and radial density fluctuations and are consistent between different parts of the sky. Our final result is a measurement of the real-space matter power spectrum P(k) up to an unknown overall multiplicative bias factor. Our calculations suggest that this bias factor is independent of scale to better than a few percent for k < 0.1 h Mpc-1, thereby making our results useful for precision measurements of cosmological parameters in conjunction with data from other experiments such as the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe satellite. The power spectrum is not well-characterized by a single power law but unambiguously shows curvature. As a simple characterization of the data, our measurements are well fitted by a flat scale-invariant adiabatic cosmological model with h Ωm = 0.213 ± 0.023 and σ8 = 0.89 ± 0.02 for L* galaxies, when fixing the baryon fraction Ωb/Ωm = 0.17 and the Hubble parameter h = 0.72; cosmological interpretation is given in a companion paper.

Ellipsoidal collapse and an improved model for the number and spatial distribution of dark matter haloes

The Press–Schechter, excursion set approach allows one to make predictions about the shape and evolution of the mass function of bound objects. The approach combines the assumption that objects collapse spherically with the assumption that the initial density fluctuations were Gaussian and small. The predicted mass function is reasonably accurate, although it has fewer high-mass and more low-mass objects than are seen in simulations of hierarchical clustering. We show that the discrepancy between theory and simulation can be reduced substantially if bound structures are assumed to form from an ellipsoidal, rather than a spherical, collapse. In the original, standard, spherical model, a region collapses if the initial density within it exceeds a threshold value, δsc. This value is independent of the initial size of the region, and since the mass of the collapsed object is related to its initial size, this means that δsc is independent of final mass. In the ellipsoidal model, the collapse of a region depends on the surrounding shear field, as well as on its initial overdensity. In Gaussian random fields, the distribution of these quantities depends on the size of the region considered. Since the mass of a region is related to its initial size, there is a relation between the density threshold value required for collapse and the mass of the final object. We provide a fitting function to this δec(m) relation which simplifies the inclusion of ellipsoidal dynamics in the excursion set approach. We discuss the relation between the excursion set predictions and the halo distribution in high-resolution N-body simulations, and use our new formulation of the approach to show that our simple parametrization of the ellipsoidal collapse model represents an improvement on the spherical model on an object-by-object basis. Finally, we show that the associated statistical predictions, the mass function and the large-scale halo-to-mass bias relation, are also more accurate than the standard predictions.

Halo models of large scale structure

Abstract We review the formalism and applications of the halo-based description of non-linear gravitational clustering. In this approach, all mass is associated with virialized dark matter halos; models of the number and spatial distribution of the halos, and the distribution of dark matter within each halo, are used to provide estimates of how the statistical properties of large scale density and velocity fields evolve as a result of non-linear gravitational clustering. We first describe the model, and demonstrate its accuracy by comparing its predictions with exact results from numerical simulations of non-linear gravitational clustering. We then present several astrophysical applications of the halo model: these include models of the spatial distribution of galaxies, the non-linear velocity, momentum and pressure fields, descriptions of weak gravitational lensing, and estimates of secondary contributions to temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background.

Cosmological constraints from the SDSS luminous red galaxies

We measure the large-scale real-space power spectrum P(k) using luminous red galaxies (LRGs) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and use this measurement to sharpen constraints on cosmological parameters from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). We employ a matrix-based power spectrum estimation method using Pseudo-Karhunen-Loeve eigenmodes, producing uncorrelated minimum-variance measurements in 20 k-bands of both the clustering power and its anisotropy due to redshift-space distortions, with narrow and well-behaved window functions in the range 0.01h/Mpc 0.1h/Mpc and associated nonlinear complications, yet agree well with more aggressive published analyses where nonlinear modeling is crucial.

An excursion set model of hierarchical clustering: ellipsoidal collapse and the moving barrier

The excursion set approach allows one to estimate the abundance and spatial distribution of virialized dark matter haloes efficiently and accurately. The predictions of this approach depend on how the non-linear processes of collapse and virialization are modelled. We present simple analytic approximations that allow us to compare the excursion set predictions associated with spherical and ellipsoidal collapse. In particular, we present formulae for the universal unconditional mass function of bound objects and the conditional mass function which describes the mass function of the progenitors of haloes in a given mass range today. We show that the ellipsoidal collapse based moving barrier model provides a better description of what we measure in the numerical simulations than the spherical collapse based constant barrier model, although the agreement between model and simulations is better at large lookback times. Our results for the conditional mass function can be used to compute accurate approximations to the local-density mass function, which quantifies the tendency for massive haloes to populate denser regions than less massive haloes. This happens because low-density regions can be thought of as being collapsed haloes viewed at large lookback times, whereas high-density regions are collapsed haloes viewed at small lookback times. Although we have applied our analytic formulae only to two simple barrier shapes, we show that they are, in fact, accurate for a wide variety of moving barriers. We suggest how they can be used to study the case in which the initial dark matter distribution is not completely cold.

Galaxy Star Formation as a Function of Environment in the Early Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We study the galaxy star formation rate (SFR) as a function of environment using the SDSS EDR data. We nd that the SFR is depressed in dense environments (clusters and groups) compared to the eld. We nd that the suppression of the SFR starts to be noticeable at around 4 virial radii. We nd no evidence for SF triggering as galaxies fall into the clusters. We also present a project to study these eects in cluster pairs systems where the eects of lamen ts and large scale structure may be noticeable.

THE LUMINOSITY AND COLOR DEPENDENCE OF THE GALAXY CORRELATION FUNCTION

Westudytheluminosityandcolordependenceofthegalaxytwo-pointcorrelationfunctionintheSloanDigitalSky Survey, starting from a sample of � 200,000 galaxies over 2500 deg 2 . We concentrate our analysis on volume-limited subsamples of specified luminosity ranges, for which we measure the projected correlation function wp(rp), which is directly related to the real-space correlation function � (r). The amplitude of wp(rp) rises continuously with luminosity from Mr �� 17: 5t oMr �� 22:5, with the most rapid increase occurring above the characteristic luminosity L� (Mr �� 20:5). Over the scales 0:1 h � 1 Mpc � 22 can be approximated, imperfectly, by power-law three-dimensional correlation functions � (r) ¼ (r/r0) � � with � � 1:8 and r0(L� ) � 5:0 h � 1 Mpc. The brightest subsample, � 23 < Mr < � 22, has a significantly steeper � (r). When we divide samples by color, redder galaxies exhibit a higher amplitude and steeper correlation function at all luminosities. The correlation amplitude of blue galaxies increases continuously with luminosity, but the luminosity dependence for red galaxies is less regular, with bright red galaxies exhibiting the strongest clustering at large scales and faint red galaxies exhibiting the strongest clustering at small scales. We interpret these results using halo occupation distribution (HOD) models assuming concordance cosmological parameters. For most samples, an HOD model with two adjustable parameters fits the wp(rp) data better than a power law, explaining inflections at rp � 1 3 h � 1 Mpc as the transition between the one-halo and two-halo regimes of � (r). The implied minimum mass for a halo hosting a central galaxy more luminous than L grows steadily, with Mmin / L at low luminosities and a steeper dependence above L� . The mass at which a halo has, on average, one satellite galaxy brighter than L is M1 � 23Mmin(L), at all luminosities. These results imply a conditional luminosity function (at fixed halo mass) in which central galaxies lie far above a Schechter function extrapolation of the satellite population. The HOD model fits nicely explain the color dependence of wp(rp) and the cross correlation between red and blue galaxies. For galaxies with Mr < � 21, halos slightly above Mmin have blue central galaxies, while more massive halos have red central galaxies and predominantly red satellite populations. The fraction of blue central galaxies increases steadily with decreasing luminosity and host halo mass. The strong clustering offaint red galaxies follows from the fact that nearly all of them are satellite systems in high-mass halos. The HOD fitting results are in good qualitative agreement with the predictions of numerical and semianalytic models of galaxy formation. Subject headingg cosmology: observations — cosmology: theory — galaxies: distances and redshifts — galaxies: halos — galaxies: statistics — large-scale structure of universe

Galaxy Clustering in Early Sloan Digital Sky Survey Redshift Data

We present the first measurements of clustering in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) galaxy redshift survey. Our sample consists of 29,300 galaxies with redshifts 5700 km s-1 ≤ cz ≤ 39,000 km s-1, distributed in several long but narrow (25-5°) segments, covering 690 deg2. For the full, flux-limited sample, the redshift-space correlation length is approximately 8 h-1 Mpc. The two-dimensional correlation function ξ(rp,π) shows clear signatures of both the small-scale, fingers-of-God distortion caused by velocity dispersions in collapsed objects and the large-scale compression caused by coherent flows, though the latter cannot be measured with high precision in the present sample. The inferred real-space correlation function is well described by a power law, ξ(r) = (r/6.1 ± 0.2 h-1 Mpc)-1.75±0.03, for 0.1 h-1 Mpc ≤ r ≤ 16 h-1 Mpc. The galaxy pairwise velocity dispersion is σ12 ≈ 600 ± 100 km s-1 for projected separations 0.15 h-1 Mpc ≤ rp ≤ 5 h-1 Mpc. When we divide the sample by color, the red galaxies exhibit a stronger and steeper real-space correlation function and a higher pairwise velocity dispersion than do the blue galaxies. The relative behavior of subsamples defined by high/low profile concentration or high/low surface brightness is qualitatively similar to that of the red/blue subsamples. Our most striking result is a clear measurement of scale-independent luminosity bias at r 10 h-1 Mpc: subsamples with absolute magnitude ranges centered on M* - 1.5, M*, and M* + 1.5 have real-space correlation functions that are parallel power laws of slope ≈-1.8 with correlation lengths of approximately 7.4, 6.3, and 4.7 h-1 Mpc, respectively.

How Many Galaxies Fit in a Halo? Constraints on Galaxy Formation Efficiency from Spatial Clustering

We study galaxy clustering in the framework of halo models, where gravitational clustering is described in terms of dark matter halos. At small scales, dark matter clustering statistics are dominated by halo density profiles, whereas at large scales, correlations are the result of combining nonlinear perturbation theory with halo biasing. Galaxies are assumed to follow the dark matter profiles of the halo they inhabit, and galaxy formation efficiency is characterized by the number of galaxies that populate a halo of given mass. This approach leads to generic predictions: the galaxy power spectrum shows a power-law behavior even though the dark matter does not, and the galaxy higher order correlations show smaller amplitudes at small scales than their dark matter counterparts. Both are in qualitatively agreement with measurements in galaxy catalogs. We find that requiring the model to fit both the second- and third-order moments of the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility (APM) galaxies provides a strong constraint on galaxy formation models. The data at large scales require that galaxy formation be relatively efficient at small masses, m ≈ 1010 M☉ h-1, whereas data at smaller scales require that the number of galaxies in a halo scale approximately as the mass to the 0.8th power in the high-mass limit. These constraints are independent of those derived from the luminosity function or Tully-Fisher relation. We also predict the power spectrum, bispectrum, and higher order moments of the mass density field in this framework. Although halo models agree well with measurements of the mass power spectrum and the higher order Sp parameters in N-body simulations, the model assumption that halos are spherical leads to disagreement in the configuration dependence of the bispectrum at small scales. We stress the importance of finite-volume effects in higher order statistics and show how they can be estimated in this approach.