Evolution of faint galaxy clustering - The 2-point angular correlation function of 20,000 galaxies to V < 23.5 and I < 22.5

The UH8K wide field camera of the CFHT was used to image 0.68 deg(2) of sky . From these images, similar to 20,000 galaxies were detected to completene ss magnitudes V < 23.5 and I < 22.5. The angular correlation function of th ese galaxies is well represented by the parameterization omega(theta) = A(W ) theta (-delta). Th, slope delta similar or equal to -0.8 shows no signifi cant variation over the range of magnitude. The amplitude A(W) decreases wi th increasing magnitude in a way that is most compatible with a Lambda CDM model (Omega (0) = 0.2, Lambda = 0.8) with a hierarchical clustering evolut ion parameter epsilon > 0. We infer a best-fit spatial correlation length o f r(00) similar or equal to 5.85 +/- 0.5 h(-1) Mpc at z = 0. The peak redsh ift of the survey (I less than or equal to 22.5) is estimated to be z(peak) , similar to 0.58, using the blue-evolving luminosity function from the CFR S and the flat Lambda cosmology, and r(0)(z(peak)) similar or equal to 3.5 +/- 0.5 h(-1) Mpc. We also detect a significant difference in clustering am plitude for the red and blue galaxies, quantitatively measured by correlati on lengths of r(00) = 5.3 +/- 0.5 h-l Mpc and r(00) = 1.9 +/- 0.9 h(-1) Mpc respectively, at z = 0.