The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in the correlation function of LOWZ and CMASS galaxies in Data Release 12

Abstract

We present distance scale measurements from the baryon acoustic oscillation signal in the CMASS and LOWZ samples from the Data Release 12 of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). The total volume probed is 14.5 Gpc${}^3$, a 10 per cent increment from Data Release 11. From an analysis of the spherically averaged correlation function, we infer a distance to $z=0.57$ of $D_V(z)r_{\mathrm{d}}^{\mathrm{fid}}/r_{\mathrm{d}}=2028\pm 21$ Mpc and a distance to $z=0.32$ of $D_V(z)r_{\mathrm{d}}^{\mathrm{fid}}/r_{\mathrm{d}}=1264\pm 22$ Mpc assuming a cosmology in which $r_{\mathrm{d}}^{\mathrm{fid}}=147.10$ Mpc. From the anisotropic analysis, we find an angular diameter distance to $z=0.57$ of $D_{\mathrm{A}}(z)r_{\mathrm{d}}^{\mathrm{fid}}/r_{\mathrm{d}}=1401\pm 21$ Mpc and a distance to $z=0.32$ of $981\pm 20$ Mpc, a 1.5 per cent and 2.0 per cent measurement respectively. The Hubble parameter at $z=0.57$ is $H(z)r_{\mathrm{d}}/r_{\mathrm{d}}^{\mathrm{fid}}=100.3\pm 3.7$ km s${}^{-1}$ Mpc${}^{-1}$ and its value at $z=0.32$ is $79.2\pm 5.6$ km s${}^{-1}$ Mpc${}^{-1}$, a 3.7 per cent and 7.1 per cent measurement respectively. These cosmic distance scale constraints are in excellent agreement with a $\hat{I}›$CDM model with cosmological parameters released by the recent Planck 2015 results.

18 pages, 10 figures, 13 tables. Matches version accepted for publication in MNRAS. Here we account for a systematic error budget not included in the previous version of this manuscript