Clustering of Submillimeter-selected Galaxies

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 611; no. 2; pp. 725 - 731
• Main Authors: Blain, A. W, Chapman, S. C, Smail, Ian, Ivison, Rob
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL IOP Publishing 20.08.2004; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Astronomy; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Quasars; Quasars. Active or peculiar galaxies, objects, and systems; Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe; Galaxy clusters; Galaxy evolution; Submillimeter wave radiation; Galaxy formation; Starburst galaxies; Cosmology; Large-scale structure
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1086/422353

Using accurate positions from very deep radio observations to guide multiobject Keck spectroscopy, we have determined a substantially complete redshift distribution for very luminous distant submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs). A sample of 73 redshifts for SMGs in seven fields contains a surprisingly large number of "associations": systems of SMGs with Mpc-scale separations and redshifts within 1200 km s super(-1). This sample provides tentative evidence of strong clustering of SMGs at z ~ 2-3 with a correlation length of ~(6.9 plus or minus 2.1) h super(-1) Mpc, using a simple pair-counting approach that is appropriate to the small, sparse SMG samples. This is somewhat greater than the well-determined correlation lengths for both z ~ 3 optical-UV color-selected Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) and z ~ 2 QSOs. This could indicate that SMGs trace the densest large-scale structures in the high-redshift universe and that they may either be evolutionarily distinct from LBGs and QSOs or subject to a more complex astrophysical bias.