Article

The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: analysis of potential systematics

A.J. RossInstitute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Portsmouth PO1 3FXWill J. PercivalInstitute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Portsmouth PO1 3FXAriel G. SánchezMax-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, Giessenbachstr., 85748 Garching, GermanyLado SamushiaNational Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory, Ilia State University, 2A Kazbegi Avenue, GE-1060 Tbilisi, GeorgiaShirley HoDepartment of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USAEyal KazinCentre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, AustraliaMarc ManeraInstitute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Portsmouth PO1 3FXBeth ReidLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAMartin WhiteDepartment of Astronomy, University of California at Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USARita TojeiroInstitute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Portsmouth PO1 3FXCameron K. McBrideHarvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS #20, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAXiaoying XuSteward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADavid A. WakeYale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USAMichael A. StraussDepartment of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USAFrancesco MontesanoMax-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, Giessenbachstr., 85748 Garching, GermanyMolly E. C. SwansonHarvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS #20, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAS. BaileyLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAA. BoltonDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, UT 84112, USAAntonio D. Montero-DortaInstituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), E-18080 Granada, SpainDaniel J. EisensteinHarvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS #20, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAHong GuoDepartment of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USAJ.–Ch. HamiltonAPC, Université Paris-Diderot-Paris 7, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA, Observatoire de Paris, 10, rue A. Domon and L. Duquet, Paris, FranceRobert C. NicholInstitute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Portsmouth PO1 3FXNikhil PadmanabhanDepartment of Physics, Yale University, 260 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, USAFrancisco PradaInstituto de Fisica Teorica (UAM/CSIC), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, SpainDavid J. SchlegelLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAM. Vargas-MagañaAPC, Université Paris-Diderot-Paris 7, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA, Observatoire de Paris, 10, rue A. Domon and L. Duquet, Paris, FranceIdit ZehaviDepartment of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USAMichael R. BlantonCenter for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USADmitry BizyaevH. BrewingtonAntonio J. CuestaDepartment of Physics, Yale University, 260 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, USAElena MalanushenkoViktor MalanushenkoInstituto de Fisica Teorica (UAM/CSIC), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, SpainDaniel OravetzJohn K. ParejkoDepartment of Physics, Yale University, 260 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, USAKaike PanDonald P. SchneiderInstitute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USAAlaina SheldenA. SimmonsStephanie A. SneddenGong‐Bo ZhaoInstitute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Portsmouth PO1 3FX

2012en

ABI

Abstract

We analyse the density field of galaxies observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) included in the SDSS Data Release Nine (DR9). DR9 includes spectroscopic redshifts for over 400 000 galaxies spread over a footprint of 3275 deg2. We identify, characterize and mitigate the impact of sources of systematic uncertainty on large-scale clustering measurements, both for angular moments of the redshift-space correlation function, ξℓ(s), and the spherically averaged power spectrum, P(k), in order to ensure that robust cosmological constraints will be obtained from these data. A correlation between the projected density of stars and the higher redshift (0.43 < z < 0.7) galaxy sample (the approximately constant stellar mass threshold ‘CMASS’ sample) due to imaging systematics imparts a systematic error that is larger than the statistical error of the clustering measurements at scales s > 120 h−1 Mpc or k < 0.01 h Mpc−1. We find that these errors can be ameliorated by weighting galaxies based on their surface brightness and the local stellar density. The clustering of CMASS galaxies found in the Northern and Southern Galactic footprints of the survey generally agrees to within 2σ. We use mock galaxy catalogues that simulate the CMASS selection function to determine that randomly selecting galaxy redshifts in order to simulate the radial selection function of a random sample imparts the least systematic error on ξℓ(s) measurements and that this systematic error is negligible for the spherically averaged correlation function, ξ0. We find a peak in ξ0 at s~ 200 h−1 Mpc, with a corresponding feature with period ~0.03 h Mpc−1 in P(k), and find features at least as strong in 4.8 per cent of the mock galaxy catalogues, concluding this feature is likely to be a consequence of cosmic variance. The methods we recommend for the calculation of clustering measurements using the CMASS sample are adopted in companion papers that locate the position of the baryon acoustic oscillation feature, constrain cosmological models using the full shape of ξ0 and measure the rate of structure growth.

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21235.x

Citations and references

Cited by 30 references

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