Published in "The Minnesota lectures on extragalactic neutral hydrogen". Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, Vol. 106, 1996, ed. E. D. Skillman

HI REDSHIFT SURVEYS AND LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE

John J. Salzer

Astronomy Department, Wesleyan University

Martha P. Haynes

Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University and National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center ¹

Abstract. We present a review of our current state of knowledge regarding the large-scale distribution of galaxies in the local universe, highlighting the contributions that HI redshift surveys have made to this field. The instruments and methods employed in 21-cm observations are summarized, and major previous survey programs are described. The importance of HI surveys for low surface brightness galaxies, dwarfs, and galaxies at low galactic latitude is stressed. We look toward the future for redshift survey work in general, and emphasize the role that 21-cm observations will play in future studies of the spatial distributions of galaxies. The utility of the Tully-Fisher relation for providing a velocity-independent map of the universe is discussed. We describe our major survey project to obtain peculiar velocities for ~ 2000 late-type spiral galaxies, and present preliminary results regarding the large-scale velocity field in the local universe.

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