# The environment and host haloes of the brightest z~6 Lyman-break galaxies

## TL;DR

This study investigates the clustering and halo environments of bright z~6 Lyman-break galaxies, revealing their association with dense regions and implications for early Universe galaxy formation and feedback processes.

## Contribution

It provides the first clustering analysis of bright z~6 LBGs using HOD modeling, linking their luminosity function shape to feedback or dust obscuration effects.

## Key findings

- Bright LBGs are highly biased (b~8) in dense regions.
- Clustering suggests these galaxies reside in massive halos.
- Field-to-field density variation aligns with cosmic variance.

## Abstract

By studying the large-scale structure of the bright high-redshift Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) population it is possible to gain an insight into the role of environment in galaxy formation physics in the early Universe. We measure the clustering of a sample of bright (-22.7<M_UV<-21.125) LBGs at z~6 and use a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model to measure their typical halo masses. We find that the clustering amplitude and corresponding HOD fits suggests that these sources are highly biased (b~8) objects in the densest regions of the high-redshift Universe. Coupled with the observed rapid evolution of the number density of these objects, our results suggest that the shape of high luminosity end of the luminosity function is related to feedback processes or dust obscuration in the early Universe - as opposed to a scenario where these sources are predominantly rare instances of the much more numerous M_UV ~ -19 population of galaxies caught in a particularly vigorous period of star formation. There is a slight tension between the number densities and clustering measurements, which we interpret this as a signal that a refinement of the model halo bias relation at high redshifts or the incorporation of quasi-linear effects may be needed for future attempts at modelling the clustering and number counts. Finally, the difference in number density between the fields (UltraVISTA has a surface density ~1.8 times greater than UDS) is shown to be consistent with the cosmic variance implied by the clustering measurements.