| Many have used the two-point correlation function to study the clustering of galaxies as a function of their properties, such as luminosity, color, and stellar mass. We explore the technique of 'marked' correlations, in which clustering is measured with galaxies weighted by a particular property or 'mark'. Marked clustering statistics identify and quantify how galaxy properties are correlated with their environment. We present marked correlation analyses in the framework of the dark matter halo model, in which all environmental correlations are due to the correlation of the masses and formation histories of halos with their environment. We perform marked correlation analyses of galaxy luminosity, color, stellar mass, metallicity, and star formation rate in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Millennium Run Simulation. We also analyze luminosity-marked correlations of galaxies in groups and clusters. Our measurements show that luminous, red, massive, metal-rich, and passively star forming galaxies tend to be located in denser environments than fainter, bluer, less massive, metal-poor, and actively star forming galaxies. Our marked correlation measurements also show how these environmental correlations vary as a function of scale. Our halo-model analyses show that the environmental dependence of luminosity and stellar mass of SDSS galaxies is primarily driven by the environmental dependence of halo mass. |
