Extremely Large Telescope

Abstract:

We have calculated the two-point correlation functions in redshift space, Ζ (σ, π), for galaxies of different spectral types in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. Using these correlation functions, we are able to estimate values of the linear redshift-space distortion parameter, β ≡ Ωm0.6/b, the pairwise velocity dispersion, a, and the real-space correlation function, Ζ(r), for galaxies with both relatively low star formation rates (for which the present rate of star formation is less than 10 per cent of its past averaged value) and galaxies with higher current star formation activity. At small separations, the real-space clustering of passive galaxies is very much stronger than that of the more actively star-forming galaxies; the correlation-function slopes are, respectively, 1.93 and 1.50, and the relative bias between the two classes is a declining function of scale. On scales larger than 10 h-1 Mpc, there is evidence that the relative bias tends to a constant, b passive/bactive ≃ 1. This consistent with the similar degrees of redshift-space distortions seen in the correlation functions of the two classes - the contours of Ζ(σ, π) require β active = 0.49 ± 0.13 and βpassive = 0-48 ± 0.14. The pairwise velocity dispersion is highly correlated with β. Despite this, a significant difference is seen between the two classes. Over the range 820 h-1 Mpc, the pairwise velocity dispersion has mean values of 416 ± 76 and 612 ± 92 km s-1 for the active and passive galaxy samples, respectively. This is consistent with the expectation from morphological segregation, in which passively evolving galaxies preferentially inhabit the cores of high-mass virialized regions.

Abstract:

As a prerequisite for cosmological studies using adaptive optics techniques, we have begun to identify and characterize faint sources in the vicinity of bright stars at high Galactic latitudes. The initial phase of this work has been a program of K_s imaging conducted with SOFI at the ESO NTT. From observations of 42 southern fields evenly divided between the spring and autumn skies, we have identified 391 additional stars and 1589 galaxies lying at separations 60" from candidate guide stars in the magnitude range 9.0 R 12.4. When analyzed as a "discrete deep field" with 131 arcmin^2 area, our dataset gives galaxy number counts that agree with those derived previously over the range 16 K_s 20.5. This consistency indicates that in the aggregate, our fields should be suitable for future statistical studies. We provide our source catalogue as a resource for users of large telescopes in the southern hemisphere.