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 constant stellar mass and low-redshift sample samples from the Data Release 12 of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. 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 Mpc and a distance to z = 0.32 of Mpc assuming a cosmology in which Mpc. From the anisotropic analysis, we find an angular diameter distance to z = 0.57 of Mpc and a distance to z = 0.32 of 981 +/- 20 Mpc, a 1.5 and 2.0 per cent measurement, respectively. The Hubble parameter at z = 0.57 is km s(-1) Mpc(-1) and its value at z = 0.32 is 79.2 +/- 5.6 km s(-1) Mpc(-1), a 3.7 and 7.1 per cent measurement, respectively. These cosmic distance scale constraints are in excellent agreement with a I > cold dark matter model with cosmological parameters released by the recent Planck 2015 results.