Evolution of clustering length, large-scale bias, and host halo mass at 2 < z < 5 in the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS)

We investigate the evolution of galaxy clustering for galaxies in the redshift range 2.0 \textless z \textless 5.0 using the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS). We present the projected (real-space) two-point correlation function w(p)(r(p)) measured by using 3022 galaxies with robust spectroscopic redshifts in two independent fields (COSMOS and VVDS-02h) covering in total 0.8 deg(2). We quantify how the scale dependent clustering amplitude r(0) changes with redshift making use of mock samples to evaluate and correct the survey selection function. Using a power-law model xi(r) = (r/r(0))(-gamma) we find that the correlation function for the general population is best fit by a model with a clustering length r(0) = 3.95(-0.54)(+0.48) h(-1) Mpc and slope y = 1.8(-0.06)(+0.02) at z similar to 2.5, r(0) = 4.35 +/- 0.60 h(-1) Mpc and gamma = 1.6(-0.13)(+0.12) at z similar to 3.5. We use these clustering parameters to derive the large-scale linear galaxy bias b(L)(PL), between galaxies and dark matter. We find b(L)(PL) = 2.68 +/- 0.22 at redshift z similar to 3 (assuming sigma(8) = 0.8), significantly higher than found at intermediate and low redshifts for the similarly general galaxy populations. We fit a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model to the data and we obtain that the average halo mass at redshift z similar to 3 is M-h = 10(11.75+/-0.23) h(-1) M-circle dot. From this fit we confirm that the large-scale linear galaxy bias is relatively high at b(L)(HOD) = 2.82 +/- 0.27. Comparing these measurements with similar measurements at lower redshifts we infer that the star-forming population of galaxies at z similar to 3 should evolve into the massive and bright (M-r \textless -21.5) galaxy population, which typically occupy haloes of mass \textless M-h \textgreater = 10(13.9) h(-1) M-circle dot at redshift z = 0.