Mapping the Cosmic Web with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0408583

From: Michael S. Vogeley [view email]

Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 15:11:51 GMT   (28kb)

Wide-angle, moderately deep redshift surveys such as that conducted as part
of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) allow study of the relationship between
the structural elements of the large-scale distribution of galaxies —
including groups, cluster, superclusters, and voids — and the dependence of
galaxy formation and evolution on these enviroments. We present a progress
report on mapping efforts with the SDSS and discuss recently constructed
catalogs of clusters, voids, and void galaxies, and evidence for a 420Mpc/h
supercluster or “Great Wall.” Analysis of multi-band photometry and
moderate-resolution spectroscopy from the SDSS reveals environmental dependence
of the star formation history of galaxies that extends over more than a factor
of 100 in density, from clusters all the way to the deep interiors of voids. On
average, galaxies in the rarified environments of voids exhibit bluer colors,
higher specific star formation rates, lower dust content, and more disk-like
morphology than objects in denser regions. This trend persists in comparisons
of samples in low vs. high-density regions with similar luminosity and
morphology, thus this dependence is not simply an extension of the
morphology-density relation. Large-scale modulation of the halo mass function
and the temperature of the intergalactic medium might explain this dependence
of galaxy evolution on the large-scale environment.

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