The → probability distribution of the
→ number of galaxies
that a host → dark matter halo of a given mass contains.
HOD is a powerful theoretical frame to populate dark matter halos with
luminous galaxies. More specifically, it describes the bias between galaxies and
dark matter by specifying (a) the probability P(N|M) that a halo of
→ virial mass M
contains N galaxies of a particular class and (b) the relative spatial and
velocity distributions of galaxies and dark matter within halos.
See also: → halo; → occupation;
→ distribution.