Correlation Properties of Galaxies from the Main Galaxy Sample of the SDSS Survey

Abstract

The apparatus of correlation gamma function (Γ*(r)) is used to analyze volume-limited samples from the DR4 Main Galaxy Sample of the SDSS survey with the aim of determining the characteristic scales of galaxy clustering. Up to 20 h^{-1} Mpc (H_0 = 65 km s^{-1}Mpc^{-1}), the distribution of galaxies is described by a power-law density-distance dependence, Γ*(r) proportional to r^{-γ}, with an index γapproximately 1.0. A change in the state of clustering (a significant deviation from the power law) was found on a scale of 20-25 h^{-1}Mpc. The distribution of SDSS galaxies becomes homogeneous (γapproximately 0) from a scale of ~60 h^{-1}Mpc. The dependence of γon the luminosity of galaxies in volume-limited samples was obtained. The power-law index γincreases with decreasing absolute magnitude of sample galaxies M_abs. At M_abs ~ -21.4, which corresponds to the characteristic value Mr* of the SDSS luminosity function, this dependence exhibits a break followed by a more rapid increase in γ.