Redshift-Space Distortions in the Galaxy Distribution

Alex Szalay (Johns Hopkins)

November 03, 2015

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Abstract: The talk will discuss how redshift space distortions due to the motion of galaxies affect a feature in the correlation function due to Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. The talk will also present results from analyzing the SDSS Main Galaxy Survey. We will discuss the impact of using unusual geometries in computing the galaxy correlation function. We show that redshift-space distortions can substantially sharpen the BAO peak in directions close to the line of sight. We also demonstrate a detection of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations even in this relatively shallow galaxy sample.