The spatial correlation function of IRAS galaxies on small and intermediate scales

A cross-correlation technique is used to compute the spatial correlation function (SCF) of IRAS galaxies on scales of 0.1-30/h Mpc. The SCF is evaluated by cross-correlating IRAS galaxies with measured redshifts and a 2D catalog of IRAS galaxies. The SCF is described as a power law, and rms mass-density variation is given for 8/h MPC spheres at 0.58 +/- 0.11 by incorporating data on the biasing of IRAS galaxies. The results are compared with the data from a redshift survey, and good agreement is noted in terms of clustering and large-scale biasing levels. The correlation function of IRAS galaxies appears to be shallower than that for optically selected galaxies which sheds light on the weak small-scale and strong large-scale clustering that typifies the IRAS galaxies. The SCF determined in this paper is based on a large number of galaxies and is not affected by redshift-space distortion.