  (Summary) Using the conditional luminosity function (CLF) -- the luminosity
distribution of galaxies in a dark matter halo -- as the fundamental building
block, we present an empirical model for the galaxy distribution. The model
predictions are compared with the published luminosity function and clustering
statistics from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) at low redshifts, and galaxy
correlation functions from COMBO-17 survey at a redshift of 0.6, DEEP2 survey
at a redshift of unity, and Great Observatories Deep Origins Survey (GOODS) at
a redshift around 3. The comparison with statistical measurements allows us to
constrain certain parameters related to analytical descriptions that describe
the relation between a dark matter halo and its central galaxy luminosity, its
satellite galaxy luminosity, and the fraction of early- and late-type galaxies
of that halo. The single parameter best constrained by clustering measurements
is the total satellite galaxy luminosity averaged over the halo mass
distribution probed by the galaxy sample. For SDSS, $<L_{\rm sat}>
=(2.1^{+0.8}_{-0.4}) \times 10^{10}$ h${-2}$ L$_{\sun}$, while for GOODS at $z
\sim 3$, $<L_{\rm sat}> < 2 \times 10^{11}$ h$^{-2}$ L$_{\sun}$. Quantities
such as the fraction of satellite galaxies at a given galaxy luminosity are not
strongly constrained with SDSS data. We use our CLFs to establish probability
distribution of halo mass in which galaxies of a given luminosity could be
found either at halo centers or as satellites. Finally, to help establish
further properties of the galaxy distribution, we propose the measurement of
cross-clustering between galaxies divided into two distinctly different
luminosity bins.

Astrophysics