The large-scale clustering of massive dark matter haloes

Abstract

The statistics of peaks of the initial, Gaussian density field can be used to interpret the abundance and clustering of massive dark matter haloes. I discuss some recent theoretical results related to their clustering and its redshift evolution. Predictions from the peak model are qualitatively consistent with measurements of the linear bias of high mass haloes, which also show some evidence for a dependence on the halo mass M at fixed peak height. The peak approach also predicts a distinctive scale-dependence in the bias of haloes across the baryon acoustic feature, a measurement of which would provide strong support for its validity. For 2-sigma density peaks collapsing at z=0.3, this residual scale-dependent bias is at the 5-10 percent level and should thus be within reach of very large simulations of structure formation.