The spatial distribution of blue compact galaxies in the second Byurakan survey

We present the results of a study of the spatial distribution relative to bright normal galaxies of a new large sample of blue compact galaxies (BCGs) in the zone of the Second Byurakan Survey (SBS): 7^h^40^m^ <= α <= 17^h^20^m^, 49^deg^ <= δ <= 61.2^deg^, using as statistic the distance D_NN_ to the nearest neighboring bright galaxy. We found that the majority (~80%) of BCGs have D_NN_ < 5h^-1^ Mpc and follow generally the large-scale structure delineated by bright galaxies, but that a minority (~20%) have D_NN_ > 5 h^-1^ Mpc and are found in voids. The large deficiency of BCGs with D_NN_ <~ 2 h^1^ Mpc supports the hypothesis that the majority of dwarf galaxies originate as low-mass primordial density fluctuations, but not as debris resulting from tidal interactions between massive galaxies. The spatial distribution of BCGs is consistent with that found for low-surface- brightness dwarfs, supporting the idea that BCGs are LSB dwarfs undergoing intense bursts of star formation.