The redshift evolution of clustering in the Hubble Deep Field

Abstract

We present a correlation function analysis for the catalogue of photometric redshifts obtained from the Hubble Deep Field image by Fernandez-Soto, Lanzetta & Yahil. By dividing the catalogue into redshift bins of width Δz=0.4 we measured the angular correlation function w(θ) as a function of redshift up to z∼4.8. From these measurements we derive the trend of the correlation length r0. We find that r0(z) is roughly constant with look-back time up to z≃2, and then increases to higher values at z≳2.4. We estimate the values of r0, assuming ξ(r,z)=[rr0(z)]−γ, γ=1.8 and various geometries. For Ω0=1 we find r0(z=3)≃7.00±4.87 h−1 Mpc, in good agreement with the values obtained from analysis of the Lyman break galaxies.