Angular and three-dimensional correlation functions determined from the Muenster Red Sky Survey

Abstract

ABSTRA C T We measure the two-dimensional galaxy ‐ galaxy correlation function from the Muenster Red Sky Survey. This survey covers a slightly larger sky area compared with the APM survey and is complete to rF , 18:3 mag ﷿zmed , 0:14fi. The large dynamic range of the survey makes it possible to examine sub-catalogues with different limiting magnitudes. The positive parts of our measured angular correlation functions (after the colour correction) show excellent agreement with those measured by Maddox, Efstathiou & Sutherland from the APM galaxy catalogue. From the measured angular correlation functions, the three-dimensional two-point correlation function j(r) is calculated. We have chosen the evolution parameter e so that the change of the correlation length r0 with the depth of the sub-catalogue is minimal. This prescription gives r0 o 5:82 ^ 0:05 h 21 Mpc and a very high, positive evolution parameter e o 2:6. The position of the point where the three-dimensional correlation function breaks away from the power law depends on the depth of the sub-catalogues: the break comes earlier for lower magnitude limits, and later for higher magnitude limits.