Apparent nonlinearity of the redshift-distance relation in infrared astronomical satellite galaxy samples

The Hubble (linear) redshift-distance law predicts values for directly observed quantities that are quite deviant from their actual values in infrared astronomical satellite (IRAS) galaxy samples. These samples are objectively defined, have modern measurements, are presently the largest such samples to which the Hubble law is theoretically applicable, and are otherwise generally considered to be statistically appropriate. The Hubble law predicts in particular that the dispersion in log flux will be much greater than it is observed to be. This type of deviation is fundamentally incapable of explanation via the assumption of any physically known type of perturbation. The Lundmark (quadratic) redshift-distance law predicts values for these directly observed quantities that are consistent with, and in fact quite close to, their actual values in the same samples. The predictions of a cubic law are typically deviant from observation but somewhat less so than those of the Hubble law. The Lundmark law accurately predicts the deviations from observation of statistical estimates predicated on either the Hubble or the cubic law. Parallel predictions for the latter laws for the results of statistical estimation predicated on the alternative laws are typically quite inaccurate. The Hubble and Lundmark laws are predicted at the low redshifts of the IRAS galaxy samples by generic big bang cosmology (BBC) and chronometric cosmology (CC), respectively. The present results confirm earlier studies of a variety of objectively defined samples of discrete sources in other wave bands that were contraindicative of BBC and indicative of CC.