No Arabic abstract
We combine the QSO samples from the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) and the 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO Survey (2SLAQ) in order to investigate the clustering of z~1.4 QSOs and measure the correlation function. The clustering signal in z-space, projected along the sky direction, is similar to that previously obtained from 2QZ alone. By fitting the z-space correlation function and lifting the degeneracy between beta and Omega_m_0 by using linear theory predictions, we obtain beta(z=1.4) = 0.60+-0.12 and Omega_m_0=0.25+-0.08, implying a value for the QSO bias, b(z=1.4)=1.5+-0.2. We further find that QSO clustering does not depend strongly on luminosity at fixed redshift. This result is inconsistent with the expectation of simple `high peaks biasing models where more luminous, rare QSOs are assumed to inhabit higher mass haloes. The data are more consistent with models which predict that QSOs of different luminosities reside in haloes of similar mass. We find that halo mass does not evolve strongly with redshift nor depend on QSO luminosity. We finally investigate how black hole mass correlates with luminosity and redshift and ascertain the relation between Eddington efficiency and black hole mass. Our results suggest that QSOs of different luminosities may contain black holes of similar mass.
We present the final spectroscopic QSO catalogue from the 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO (2SLAQ) Survey. This is a deep, 18<g<21.85 (extinction corrected), sample aimed at probing in detail the faint end of the broad line AGN luminosity distribution at z<2.6. The candidate QSOs were selected from SDSS photometry and observed spectroscopically with the 2dF spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. This sample covers an area of 191.9 deg^2 and contains new spectra of 16326 objects, of which 8764 are QSOs, and 7623 are newly discovered (the remainder were previously identified by the 2QZ and SDSS surveys). The full QSO sample (including objects previously observed in the SDSS and 2QZ surveys) contains 12702 QSOs. The new 2SLAQ spectroscopic data set also contains 2343 Galactic stars, including 362 white dwarfs, and 2924 narrow emission line galaxies with a median redshift of z=0.22. We present detailed completeness estimates for the survey, based on modelling of QSO colours, including host galaxy contributions. This calculation shows that at g~21.85 QSO colours are significantly affected by the presence of a host galaxy up to redshift z~1 in the SDSS ugriz bands. In particular we see a significant reddening of the objects in g-i towards fainter g-band magnitudes. This reddening is consistent with the QSO host galaxies being dominated by a stellar population of age at least 2-3 Gyr. The full catalogue, including completeness estimates, is available on-line at http://www.2slaq.info/
We present a spectroscopic survey of almost 15,000 candidate intermediate-redshift Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) brighter than i=19.8, observed with 2dF on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The targets were selected photometrically from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and lie along two narrow equatorial strips covering 180 sq deg. Reliable redshifts were obtained for 92% of the targets and the selection is very efficient: over 90% have redshifts between 0.45 and 0.8. More than 80% of the ~11,000 red galaxies have pure absorption-line spectra consistent with a passively-evolving old stellar population. The redshift, photometric and spatial distributions of the LRGs are described. The 2SLAQ data will be released publicly from mid-2006, providing a powerful resource for observational cosmology and the study of galaxy evolution.
We present a clustering analysis of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) using nearly 9 000 objects from the final catalogue of the 2dF-SDSS LRG And QSO (2SLAQ) Survey. We measure the redshift-space two-point correlation function, xi(s), at the mean LRG redshift of z=0.55. A single power-law fits the deprojected correlation function, xi(r), with a correlation length of r_0=7.45+-0.35 Mpc and a power-law slope of gamma=1.72+-0.06 in the 0.4<r<50 Mpc range. But it is in the LRG angular correlation function that the strongest evidence for non-power-law features is found where a slope of gamma=-2.17+-0.07 is seen at 1<r<10 Mpc with a flatter gamma=-1.67+-0.03 slope apparent at r<~1 Mpc scales. We use the simple power-law fit to the galaxy xi(r) to model the redshift space distortions in the 2-D redshift-space correlation function, xi(sigma,pi). We fit for the LRG velocity dispersion, w_z, Omega_m and beta, where beta=Omega_m^0.6/b and b is the linear bias parameter. We find values of w_z=330kms^-1, Omega_m= 0.10+0.35-0.10 and beta=0.40+-0.05. These high redshift results, which incorporate the Alcock-Paczynski effect and the effects of dynamical infall, start to break the degeneracy between Omega_m and beta found in low-redshift galaxy surveys. This degeneracy is further broken by introducing an additional external constraint, the value of beta(z=0.1)=0.45 from 2dFGRS, and then considering the evolution of clustering from z~0 to z_LRG~0.55. With these combined methods we find Omega_m(z=0)=0.30+-0.15 and beta(z=0.55)=0.45+-0.05. Assuming these values, we find a value for b(z=0.55)=1.66+-0.35. We show that this is consistent with a simple ``high peaks bias prescription which assumes that LRGs have a constant co-moving density and their clustering evolves purely under gravity. [ABRIDGED]
We present a detailed investigation into the recent star formation histories of 5,697 Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) based on the Hdelta (4101A) and [OII] (3727A) lines. LRGs are luminous (L>3L*), galaxies which have been selected to have photometric properties consistent with an old, passively evolving stellar population. For this study we utilise LRGs from the recently completed 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO survey (2SLAQ). Equivalent widths of the Hdelta and [OII] lines are measured and used to define three spectral types, those with only strong Hdelta absorption (k+a), those with strong [OII] in emission (em) and those with both (em+a). All other LRGs are considered to have passive star formation histories. The vast majority of LRGs are found to be passive (~80 per cent), however significant numbers of k+a (2.7 per cent), em+a (1.2 per cent) and em LRGs (8.6 per cent) are identified. An investigation into the redshift dependence of the fractions is also performed. A sample of SDSS MAIN galaxies with colours and luminosities consistent with the 2SLAQ LRGs is selected to provide a low redshift comparison. While the em and em+a fractions are consistent with the low redshift SDSS sample, the fraction of k+a LRGs is found to increase significantly with redshift. This result is interpreted as an indication of an increasing amount of recent star formation activity in LRGs with redshift. By considering the expected life time of the k+a phase, the number of LRGs which will undergo a k+a phase can be estimated. A crude comparison of this estimate with the predictions from semi-analytic models of galaxy formation shows that the predicted level of k+a and em+a activity is not sufficient to reconcile the predicted mass growth for massive early-types in a hierarchical merging scenario.
We present clustering results from the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) which currently contains over 20,000 QSOs at z<3. The two-point correlation function of QSOs averaged over the entire survey (<z>~1.5) is found to be similar to that of local galaxies. When sub-dividing the sample as a function of redshift, we find that for an Einstein-de Sitter universe QSO clustering is constant (in comoving coordinates) over the entire redshift range probed by the 2QZ, while in a universe with Omega_0=0.3 and Lambda_0=0.7 there is a marginal increase in clustering with redshift. Sub-dividing the 2QZ on the basis of apparent magnitude we find only a slight difference between the clustering of QSOs of different apparent brightness, with the brightest QSOs having marginally stronger clustering. We have made a first measurement of the redshift space distortion of QSO clustering, with the goal of determining the value of cosmological parameters (in partcular Lambda_0) from geometric distortions. The current data do not allow us to discriminate between models, however, in combination with constraints from the evolution of mass clustering we find Omega_0=1-Lambda_0=0.23 +0.44-0.13 and beta(z~1.4)=0.39 +0.18-0.17. The full 2QZ data set will provide further cosmological constraints.