Monte-Carlo simulations of galaxy systems

Computer models of galaxy fields are generated using the Monte-Carlo simulation technique described in Paper I (MacGillivrayet al., 1982b). In the models, various scenarios for the true 3-dimensional distribution of galaxies (e.g., clustering on continuous or hierarchical scales) are incorporated and the galaxies projected onto a synthetic photographic plate. All factors affecting the light from distant galaxies are taken into account in the simulations and also factors affecting the detection and measurement of faint galaxy images on photographic plates scanned with an automatic plate-measuring machine. The model fields are compared, both qualitatively and statistically, with a field obtained from measures with COSMOS on a deep photograph taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope. The results indicate that the observed distribution of faint galaxies on photographic plates can only be represented by a model involving second order clustering of galaxies. However, the exact nature of this second-order clustering cannot be unambiguously ascertained from the 2-D distributions, both a uniformly-populated supercluster model and the cellular model being able to represent statistically the observed projected distribution of galaxies.