The correlation function of rich clusters of galaxies in CDM-like models

Abstract

We use ensembles of high-resolution CDM simulations to investigate the shape and amplitude of the two point correlation function of rich clusters. The standard scale-invariant CDM model with $\Omega=1$ provides a poor description of the clustering measured from the APM rich cluster redshift survey, which is better fitted by models with more power at large scales. The amplitudes of the rich cluster correlation functions measured from our models depend weakly on cluster richness. Analytic calculations of the clustering of peaks in a Gaussian density field overestimate the amplitude of the N-body cluster correlation functions, but reproduce qualitatively the weak trend with cluster richness. Our results suggest that the high amplitude measured for the correlation function of richness class $R \geq 2$ Abell clusters is either an artefact arising from incompleteness in the Abell catalogue, or an indication that the density perturbations in the early universe were very non-Gaussian.