Large‐Scale Structures in the Early Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Comparison of the North and South Galactic Strips

Abstract

We compare the large-scale galaxy clustering between the north and south Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) early data release (EDR) and also with the clustering in the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility (APM) Galaxy Survey. The three samples are independent and cover an area of 150, 230, and 4300 deg2, respectively. We combine SDSS data in different ways to approach the APM selection. Given the good photometric calibration of the SDSS data and the very good match of its north and south number counts, we combine them in a single sample. The joint clustering is compared with equivalent subsamples in the APM. The final sampling errors are small enough to provide an independent test for some of the results in the APM. We find evidence for an inflection in the shape of the two-point function in the SDSS that is very similar to what is found in the APM. This feature has been interpreted as evidence for nonlinear gravitational growth. By studying higher-order correlations, we can also confirm good agreement with the hypothesis of Gaussian initial conditions (and small biasing) for the structure traced by the large-scale SDSS galaxy distribution.