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Description
We present a spectroscopic survey of almost 15000 candidate intermediate-redshift luminous red galaxies (LRGs) brighter than i=19.8, observed with 2dF on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The targets were selected photometrically from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and lie along two narrow equatorial strips covering 180deg^2^. Reliable redshifts were obtained for 92 per cent of the targets and the selection is very efficient: over 90 per cent have 0.45<z<0.8. More than 80 per cent of the ~11000 red galaxies have pure absorption-line spectra consistent with a passively evolving old stellar population. The redshift, photometric and spatial distributions of the LRGs are described. The 2SLAQ data will be released publicly from mid-2006, providing a powerful resource for observational cosmology and the study of galaxy evolution.
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