The Local Redshift--Distance Relation and Spatial Uniformity

Regrettably, the review of the redshift--distance relation in the review by Salpeter and Hoffman [Salpeter, E. E. & Hoffman, G. L., Jr. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 3056-3063], appears flawed. In particular, the logically inconclusive and uncertain hypothesis of local extragalactic spat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 84; no. 18; p. 6326
Main Author Segal, I. E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.09.1987
National Acad Sciences
Subjects
Applied sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Galaxies
Hubble law
Luminosity function
Other techniques and industries
Physical Sciences: Astronomy
Red shift
Uniformity
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Summary:Regrettably, the review of the redshift--distance relation in the review by Salpeter and Hoffman [Salpeter, E. E. & Hoffman, G. L., Jr. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 3056-3063], appears flawed. In particular, the logically inconclusive and uncertain hypothesis of local extragalactic spatial uniformity is used in an essential way. Moreover, even in conjunction with this hypothesis, the Lundmark law fits more closely than the Hubble law, on the basis of the data and criteria of Salpeter and Hoffman, when a rough approximation involved in the estimation of the galaxy luminosity function is eliminated. Specifically, the assumption that all galaxies in the redshift range 500--1700 km· s-1 are effectively at the redshift 1100 km· s-1 is made; when this assumption is replaced by a statistically optimal procedure that uses the precise redshifts, the relative fit of the two laws is reversed.
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ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.84.18.6326