Non-separable halo bias from high-redshift galaxy clustering

ABSTRACT The halo model provides a powerful framework for interpreting galaxy clustering by linking the spatial distribution of dark matter haloes to the underlying matter distribution. A key assumption within the halo bias approximation of the halo model is that, on sufficiently large scales, the halo bias between two halo populations is a separable function of the mass of each population. In this work, we test the validity of this approximation on quasi-linear scales using both simulations and observational data across a broad range of halo masses and redshifts. In particular, we define a separability function based on halo or galaxy cross-correlations to quantify deviations from halo-bias separability, and measure it from N-body simulations. We find significant departures from separability on quasi-linear scales (${\sim} 1\!-\!5\, \mathrm{Mpc}$) at high redshifts ($z \ge 3$), leading to a suppression in the scale-dependent halo bias and hence in halo cross-correlations by up to a factor of 2 – or even higher. In contrast, deviations at low redshifts remain modest. Additionally, using high-redshift ($z \sim 3.6$) galaxy samples, we detect deviations from bias separability that closely align with simulation predictions. The breakdown of the separable bias approximation on quasi-linear scales at high redshifts underscores the importance to account for non-separability in models of the galaxy–halo connection in this regime. Furthermore, these results highlight the potential of high-redshift galaxy cross-correlations as a probe for improving the galaxy–halo connection from upcoming large-scale surveys.