The Canada-France redshift survey .8. Evolution of the clustering of galaxies from z similar to 1

This paper analyzes the spatial clustering of galaxies in the Canada-France Redshift Survey (CFRS). We have used the projected two-point correlation function, w(r(p)), to investigate the spatial distribution of the 591 galaxies with secure redshifts between 0 less than or equal to z less than or equal to 1.3 in the five CFRS fields. The slope of the two-point correlation function for the sample as a whole is gamma = 1.64 +/- 0.05, very similar to the local slope, and gamma is therefore not strongly evolving with redshift. However, the amplitude of the correlation function decreases strongly with increasing redshift, so that at z approximate to 0.6 it is a factor of 10 lower (for q(0) = 0.5) than for a similarly selected local galaxy population, on scales 0.1 < r < 2 h(-1) Mpc (q(0) = 0.5). As a whole, the CFRS data are adequately represented by r(0)(z = 0.53) = 1.33 +/- 0.09 h(-1) Mpc for q(0) = 0.5, and r(0)(z = 0.53) = 1.57 +/- 0.09 h(-1) Mpc for q(0) = 0. Unless the galaxy population at high redshift is quite different from any population seen locally, an unlikely possibility, then this implies growth of clustering as described by the evolutionary parameter epsilon to be in the range 0 < epsilon < +2. No difference in the clustering of red and blue galaxies is seen at z greater than or equal to 0.5, although at lower redshifts, 0.2 less than or equal to z less than or equal to 0.5, blue galaxies are somewhat less strongly correlated than the redder galaxies, as seen in local samples. This effect could be the equivalent for field galaxies to the Butcher-Oemler effect seen in clusters of galaxies. The cross-correlation functions between red and blue samples have comparable amplitudes to the autocorrelation functions of each. The distribution and power spectrum of pair separations does not indicate significant periodic patterns in the distribution of galaxies along the lines of sight. Finally, the densest structures in the survey are identified and characterized, including the structure at z = 0.985 in the 1415+52 field, reported previously, and a new cluster of galaxies at z = 0.78 in the 1000+25 field.