Investigating the Evolution of Galaxy Clustering with the Canada-France Deep Fields Survey

Abstract.

We describe the Canada-France Deep Fields Survey, a deep ( $I_{AB}(3\sigma, 3^{\prime\prime})\sim 25.5$) imaging survey which has been carried out primarily using the University of Hawaii’s 8K mosaic camera. To the survey’s limiting magnitude of $I_{AB}\sim 25.5$ there are 100,000 galaxies over four independent fields covering $\sim 1$ deg² in total, making this the largest survey at this depth carried out to date. Using this dataset we measure the projected two-point galaxy correlation function $\omega(\theta )$ as a function of I _AB limiting magnitude and angular scale. Our results are consistent with a picture in which, by $I_{AB} \sim 25$, our survey is dominated by (probably sub-L ^*), weakly clustered galaxies.