The Intermediate-Scale Clustering of Luminous Red Galaxies

Abstract

We report the intermediate-scale (0.3 to 40 Mpc/h) clustering of 35,000 luminous early-type galaxies at redshifts 0.16 to 0.44 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We present the redshift-space two-point correlation function \xi(s), the projected correlation function w_p(r_p), and the deprojected real-space correlation function \xi(r), for approximately volume-limited samples. As expected, the galaxies are highly clustered, with the correlation length varying from 9.8 +/- 0.2 Mpc/h to 11.2 +/- 0.2 Mpc/h, dependent on the specific luminosity range. For the -23.2 < Mg < -21.2 sample, the inferred bias relative to that of L* galaxies is 1.84 +/- 0.11 for 1 Mpc/h < r_p < 10 Mpc/h, with yet stronger clustering on smaller scales. We detect luminosity-dependent bias within the sample but see no evidence for redshift evolution between z=0.2 and z=0.4. We find a clear indication for deviations from a power-law in the real-space correlation function, with a dip at ~ 2 Mpc/h scales and an upturn on smaller scales. The precision measurements of these clustering trends offer new avenues for the study of the formation and evolution of these massive galaxies.