The VLT LBG Redshift Survey - III. The clustering and dynamics of Lyman-break galaxies at z ~ 3


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We present a catalogue of 2135 galaxy redshifts from the VLT LBG Redshift Survey (VLRS), a spectroscopic survey of z ~ 3 galaxies in wide fields centred on background quasi-stellar objects. We have used deep optical imaging to select galaxies via the Lyman-break technique. Spectroscopy of the Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) was then made using the Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS), giving a mean redshift of z=2.79. We analyse the clustering properties of the VLRS sample and also of the VLRS sample combined with the smaller area Keck-based survey of Steidel et al. From the semiprojected correlation function, wp({sigma}) we find that the results are well fit with a single power-law model, with clustering scale lengths of r0=3.46+-0.41 and 3.83+-0.24 Mpc/h, respectively. We note that the corresponding combined {xi}(r) slope is flatter than for local galaxies at {gamma} = 1.5-1.6 rather than {gamma}=1.8. This flat slope is confirmed by the z-space correlation function, {xi}(s), and in the range 10<s<100 Mpc/h the VLRS shows ~2.5{sigma} excess over the {Lambda} cold dark matter. This excess may be consistent with recent evidence for non-Gaussianity in clustering results at z~1. We then analyse the LBG z-space distortions using the 2D correlation function, {xi}({sigma}, {pi}), finding for the combined sample a large-scale infall parameter of $beta$ = 0.38+-0.19 and a velocity dispersion of 420km/s. Based on our measured {beta}, we are able to determine the gravitational growth rate, finding a value of f(z = 3)=0.99+-0.50 (or f{sigma}8 = 0.26+-0.13), which is the highest redshift measurement of the growth rate via galaxy clustering and is consistent with {Lambda}CDM. Finally, we constrain the mean halo mass for the LBG population, finding that the VLRS and combined sample suggest mean halo masses of log(MDM/Msun) = 11.57+-0.15 and 11.73+-0.07, respectively.

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