MODERATE C IV ABSORBER SYSTEMS REQUIRE 10{sup 12} M{sub Sun} DARK MATTER HALOS AT z {approx} 2.3: A CROSS-CORRELATION STUDY OF C IV ABSORBER SYSTEMS AND QUASARS IN SDSS-III BOSS DR9
We measure the two-point cross-correlation function of C IV absorber systems and quasars, using spectroscopic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS; Data Release 9). The 19,701 quasars and 6149 C IV ''moderate'' absorbers, 0.28 A < rest-frame equivalent width (EW) < 5 A, in our study cover a redshift range of 2.1 < z < 2.5 over 3300 deg{sup 2} and represent a factor of two increase in sample size over previous investigations. We find a correlation scale length and slope of the redshift-space cross-correlation function of s{sub 0} = 8.46 {+-} 1.24 Mpc, {gamma} = 1.68 {+-} 0.19, in the redshift-space range 10 < s < 100 Mpc. We find a projected cross-correlation function of C IV absorption systems and quasars of r{sub 0} = 7.76 {+-} 2.80 Mpc, {gamma} = 1.74 {+-} 0.21. We measure the combined quasar and C IV bias to be b{sub QSO} b{sub C{sub IV}} = 8.81 {+-} 2.28. Using an estimate of b{sub QSO} from the quasar auto-correlation function we find b{sub CIV} = 2.38 {+-} 0.62. This b{sub CIV} implies that EW > 0.28 A C IV absorbers at z {approx} 2.3 are typically found in dark matter halos that have masses {>=}10{sup 11.3}-10{sup 13.4} M{sub Sun} at that redshift. The complete BOSS sample will triple the number of both quasars and absorption systems and increase the power of this cross-correlation measurement by a factor of two.