The velocity field of 2MRS Ks=11.75 galaxies: constraints on beta and bulk flow from the luminosity function

TL;DR

This study reconstructs the peculiar velocity field of galaxies using the 2MRS survey, constraining bulk flow and velocity parameters consistent with LCDM, and finds luminosity evolution affecting the galaxy luminosity function.

Contribution

It introduces a likelihood-based method to estimate the velocity field and luminosity function from 2MRS data, providing new constraints on cosmic flows and galaxy luminosity evolution.

Findings

Bulk flow Vb=(90±65, -230±65, 50±65) km/s consistent with LCDM

Reconstructed beta parameter is 0.323±0.08

Luminosity function shows evolution with L(z)=L(0)(1+z)^{+2.7±0.15}

Abstract

Using the nearly full sky Ks=11.75 2MASS Redshift Survey [2MRS]of ~45,000 galaxies we reconstruct the underlying peculiar velocity field and constrain the cosmological bulk flow within ~100. These results are obtained by maximizing the probability to estimate the absolute magnitude of a galaxy given its observed apparent magnitude and redshift. At a depth of ~60 Mpc/h we find a bulk flow Vb=(90\pm65,-230\pm65,50\pm65) km/s in agreement with the theoretical predictions of the LCDM model. The reconstructed peculiar velocity field that maximizes the likelihood is characterized by the parameter beta=0.323 +/- 0.08. Both results are in agreement with those obtained previously using the ~23,000 galaxies of the shallower Ks=11.25 2MRS survey. In our analysis we find that the luminosity function of 2MRS galaxies is poorly fitted by the Schechter form and that luminosity evolves such that objects become fainter with increasing redshift according to L(z)=L(z=0)(1+z)^(+2.7 +/-0.15).