Leauthaud et al. 2015 provide a characterization of the stellar mass completeness of the BOSS CMASS and LOWZ massive galaxy samples using stellar mass estimates from the S82-MGC.

 

Completeness is estimated by first constructing the total galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) in redshift bins by combining data from the PRIMUS survey (Moustakas et al. 2013, Coil et al. 2011) at the low mass end with data from the S82-MCG (Bundy et al. 2015) at the high mass end. Completeness is estimated by comparing the total number of CMASS/LOWZ galaxies in a given redshift and stellar mass bin to that derived from the total SMF.

 

The high-redshift CMASS (“constant mass”) sample is 80% complete at log10(M∗/M⊙) > 11.6  in the redshift range z=[0.51,0.61].

 

The low redshift LOWZ sample is 80% complete at log10(M∗/M⊙) > 11.6 for z=[0.15,0.43].

 

The combination of LOW and CMASS yields a spectroscopic sample that is 80% complete at log10(M∗/M⊙) > 11.6 at z < 0.61.

 

• Data files containing our completeness estimates for CMASS : click HERE
• Data files containing our completeness estimates for LOWZ : click HERE

 

When using these completeness estimates, please cite Leauthaud et al. 2015.