Clustering Analyses of 300,000 Photometrically Classified Quasars. I. Luminosity and Redshift Evolution in Quasar Bias

Using ~300, 000 photometrically classified quasars, by far the largest quasar sample ever used for such analyses, we study the redshift and luminosity evolution of quasar clustering on scales of ~50 kpc/h to ~20 Mpc/h from redshifts of z~0. 75 to z~2. 28. We parameterize our clustering amplitudes using realistic dark matter models, and find that a LCDM power spectrum provides a superb fit to our data with a redshift-averaged quasar bias of bQ = 2. 41+/-0. 08 (P₉₉. ₆% ₔₒ₈₍₆ ₎ₔₑ ₃₀ₓ₀ ₒ₄ₓ ₀₋₎₍₄, ₈₍₂ₑ₄₀ₒ₈₍₆ ₓ₎ >₉₉. ₉₉₉₉% ₈₅ ₒₓ₄₋₋₀ₑ ₂₎₍ₓ₀₌₈₍₀ₓ₈₎₍ ₈ₒ ₍₎ₓ ₄ₗ₏₋₈₂₈ₓ₋ₘ ₏₀ₑ₀₌₄ₓ₄ₑ₈ₙ₄₃. ₖ₄ ₌₄₀ₒₔₑ₄ ₓ₇₄ ₐₔ₀ₒ₀ₑ ₂₋₀ₒₒ₈₅₈₂₀ₓ₈₎₍ ₄₅₅₈₂₈₄₍₂ₘ ₀₂ₑ₎ₒₒ ₎ₔₑ ₅ₔ₋₋ ₒ₀₌₏₋₄ ₀ₒ ₀ = ₉₅. ₆ +/- ^₄. ₄₁. ₉%, a star-quasar separation comparable with the star-galaxy separation in many photometric studies of galaxy clustering. We derive the mean mass of the dark matter halos hosting quasars as MDMH= (5. 2+/-0. 6) x10^{12 Mₛolar/h. At z~1. 9 we find a 1. 5\ deviation from luminosity-independent quasar clustering; this suggests that increasing our sample size by a factor of 1. 8 could begin to constrain any luminosity dependence in quasar bias at z~2. Our results agree with recent studies of quasar environments at z 50 kpc/h. At z < 1. 6, our analysis suggests that bQ is constant with luminosity to within ~0. 6, and that, for g < 21, angular quasar autocorrelation measurements are unlikely to have sufficient statistical power at z < 1. 6 to detect any luminosity dependence in quasars' clustering.