Analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope Survey Strip

We analyze the Survey Strip taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Survey Strip, also known as the Groth Strip or the Groth-Westphal Strip, consists of 28 contiguous pointings of the HST as well as one disjoint field. We describe the procedure used to catalog the galaxies in the Strip. We then report the results of several statistical studies done with this catalog. The number counts of galaxies in the Strip are consistent with other deep surveys and confirm the excess of faint blue galaxies above no-evolution model predictions. The angular two-point correlation function matches the slope expected from similar data sets, but we find a slightly lower amplitude than most other groups using similar data. Our low correlation amplitude favors a universe with a cosmological constant or a space curvature and extensive clustering evolution. The correlation signal we see is shown to be inconsistent with a signal due only to a gradient in sensitivity across the WFPC2 chip or due only to a varying sensitivity among the different fields of the Strip. Weak lensing analysis allows us to set an upper limit on the shear correlation function which can be used to set limits on the mass power spectrum. The limit we place on excess shear variance above that predicted from noise alone indicates that there may be less dark matter in the direction of the Strip than current models predict. The point spread function (PSF) and shear of the WFPC2 and HST are discussed as they relate to finding the ellipticities needed to test for weak lensing. A general method for correcting for HST PSF and WFPC2 detector shear is given.