Spatial Homogeneity and Redshift-Distance Laws (Galaxies/Cosmology/Hubble Law/Lundmark Law) J
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 79, pp. 3913-3917, June 1982 Astronomy Spatial homogeneity and redshift-distance laws (galaxies/cosmology/Hubble law/Lundmark law) J. F. NICOLL* AND 1. E. SEGALt *Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742; and tDepartment of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Contributed by I. E. Segal, March 11, 1982 ABSTRACT Spatial homogeneity in the radial direction of the low redshift region and may be subject to various biases. low-redshift galaxies is subjected to Kafka-Schmidt V/Vm tests Here radial homogeneity is treated by the Kafka-Schmidt V/ using well-documented samples. Homogeneity is consistent with Vm test (see ref. 7), modified by the imposition oflimits on red- the assumption of the Lundmark (quadratic redshift-distance) shifts. The lower limit is required because of peculiar motions, law, but large deviations from homogeneity are implied by the and the upper limit because errors ofmeasurement place a red- assumption of the Hubble (linear redshift-distance) law. These shift limit on completeness (see ref. 2). The V/Vm test retains deviations are similar to what would be expected on the basis of its important property ofimmunity to the observational cutoffs the Lundmark law. Luminosity functions are obtained foreach law when such limits are imposed. In addition, it becomes capable by a nonparametric statistically optimal method that removes the ofbeing quite discriminatory between different redshift-distance observational cutoff bias in complete samples. Although the Hub- the without such limits, the V/Vm test ble law correlation ofabsolute magnitude with redshift is reduced laws, which is not case considerably by elimination of the bias, computer simulations then being substantially equivalent to the analysis of the N(m) show that its bias-free value is nevertheless at a statistically quite relationship. Such limits also tend to produce a sample that is significant level, indicating the self-inconsistency of the law. The subject to fewer and smaller errors. corresponding Lundmark law correlations are quite satisfactory The primary sample used here for statistical analysis is that statistically. The regression ofredshift on magnitude also involves of Visvanathan (2). This appears particularly appropriate be- radial spatial homogeneity and, according to R. Soneira, has slope cause of its homogeneity, completeness, whole sky character, determining the redshift-magnitude exponent independently of and relative freedom from corrections that may be model de- the luminosity function. We have, however, rigorously proved the pendent. It consists of -300 elliptical and similar galaxies; for material dependence of the regression on this function and here comparison, a sample ofde Vaucouleurs (3) that consists largely exemplifyour treatment by using the bias-free functions indicated, of spiral galaxies is also treated, including its angular diameter with results consistent with the foregoing argument. relations. As a consequence ofthe completeness in diameter of the Nilson sample (4) and the inclusion of these measurements For small redshifts z that are beyond the range of influence of in the work ofde Vaucouleurs et al. (5), from which the sample peculiar motions, the observed correlation ofapparent magni- (3) of de Vaucouleurs largely derives, it is to be expected that tude with redshift suggests that the redshift z varies approxi- this sample is likewise complete, down to a limiting diameter, mately as a power p ofthe "distance" r, p being a constant. The here taken conservatively large, at least in the northern galactic distance itselfis not observable and the empirically meaningful hemisphere. Subsamples defined by further limitations on mag- content of such a law derives from its combination with laws nitude, redshift, and galactic latitude are also considered. A relating other observable quantities such as luminosities and wide discrepancy from homogeneity, on the assumption of the angular sizes to distance. Elimination ofthe distance then leads Hubble law, is found in virtually all cases, in contrast to the to predicted relations involving only observed quantities. homogeneity implied by the Lundmark law, and has a character Such predictions are predicated on hypothesized uniformi- similar to that found earlier for a sample oflarger-redshift bright ties ofone type or another. For studies ofthe magnitude-redshift cluster galaxies studied by Peterson (6) in an analysis by Segal relation, uniformity in luminosity is involved; i.e., it is assumed (7). Moreover the departures from homogeneity are quite sim- that the absolute luminosities of galaxies in space have a fre- ilar to those predicted by the Lundmark law. quency distribution that is independent ofthe distance, for gal- Another observable relation, predicated in part on radial spa- axies in the class observed. (Observational imitations may have tial homogeneity and in part on luminosity uniformity, is the the consequence that this physical uniformity may not be di- redshift-magnitude regression. Claims ofSoneira (8) to the con- rectly observed as such, of course, appropriate procedures trary notwithstanding, it has been proved by Nicoll and Segal being required to elicit it.) (9) that this regression depends on the luminosity function and A logically quite distinct type ofuniformity is that ofthe spa- not merely, apart from zero point, on the redshift-magnitude tial distribution ofgalaxies. This spatial uniformity may be fur- exponent p. The latter work is here exemplified by a quanti- ther subdivided into angular and radial homogeneity. The sub- tative determination of the Hubble and Lundmark law predic- ject is classical (1) and, from early on, only radial homogeneity tions ofthis regression, for the Visvanathan sample in the same has appeared tenable on the scales here involved, and only this conservative magnitude and redshift ranges as in the V/Vm type is considered here. This is, briefly, the assumption that tests. the number of galaxies up to distance r varies as r3 in the low- The ROBUSTdeterminations ofluminosity functions treated redshift region, say up to redshifts of 0.01. Classical study has by-Nicoll et at (10) required to this end show independently of is nondiscrim- any assumption of radial spatial homogeneity the self-inconsis- treated the N(m) relationship, which, however, tency of the Hubble law by virtue of its improbably large cor- inatory between different redshift-distance exponents p in relation ofabsolute magnitude with redshift after removal ofthe observational cutoff bias by the ROBUST analysis. This sup- The publication costs ofthis article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertise- ment" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Abbreviations: LF, luminosity function; OCB, observational cutoffbias. IQI .R Downloaded by guest on September 29, 2021 3914 Astronomy: Nicoll and Segal Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79 (1982) plements and confirms the interpretation ofthe nonparametric C. 8>0 B<0 cross-testing of the Hubble and Lundmark laws reported ear- 0 lier. The Lundmark law is itself entirely self-consistent in the cr 1.0 indicated and other respects. 0 lot a0 00 Because of its dependence on two distinct uniformity hy- O. 0.8 _ at potheses, the redshift-magnitude regression is more difficult 0 a6 o D 0.6 0 6 o to analyze probabilistically than either the magnitude-redshift 0 a0 a o0 .0 0 8 u or V/Vm relations. Despite significant departures from both of 0 0g '- OA a 0 these uniformities, due to partial cancellation of their effects, 1[ p zo // the redshift-magnitude regression predicted by the Hubble law happens not to appear very strongly deviant from the empirical r 0.2 10 relationship, but systematic departures from it are suggested 0 0 E 0, , 02 0 8 1. and not found in the case of the closer-fitting prediction of the U 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Lundmark law. V/Vm The V/Vm tests FIG. 2. V/VYi relations for the same sample as in Fig. 1 in the northern (Left) and southern(Right) galactic hemispheres (118 and 65 The sample of Visvanathan (2) is now considered up to its re- galaxies, respectively). Symbols are as in Fig. 1. ported limiting apparent magnitude of 12.4 and in the conser- vative redshift range 500 < cz < 2,250. The results of V/Vm natural question from a systematic methodological standpoint tests on this sample are shown in Fig. 1. There appear to be ofthe extent to which the Lundmark law explains the deviations systematic deviations of the Hubble law values from expecta- from the Hubble law is addressed by comparison of the V/Vi tion, assuming as throughout unless otherwise stated that the distribution actually observed using the Hubble law analysis galaxy distribution is homogeneous in the radial direction, but with the Lundmark law prediction of the results of the V/Vm the Lundmark law values appear to fit reasonably well. Statis- test when predicated on the Hubble law. As shown in Fig. 1, tical analysis confirms this suggestion from the visual appear- such predictions are in excellent agreement with the results ance of the curve. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic D, de- actually observed. In view of these features, an initial pre- fined as the maximum deviation between the empirical cumu- sumption ofreal physical inhomogeneity, assuming the Hubble lative distribution function of the V/Vm value and that for a law, cannot be sustained consistently with general scientific uniform distribution on the unit interval [0,1], has the values principles. D, = 0.2475 and D2 = 0.0925, where the subscripts 1 and 2 From the standpoint ofthe Hubble law, a number of obser- refer, respectively, to the Hubble and Lundmark laws. The vational or statistical features present themselves as possible corresponding probabilities P of deviations as large as these, explications of this unexpected result; the major ones will be assuming the correctness ofthe respective laws, are < 10' and taken up seriatim.