The VIMOS VLT Deep Survey - Evolution of the luminosity functions by galaxy type up to z=1.5 from first epoch data
Abstract
From the first epoch observations of the VVDS up to z=1.5 we have derived luminosity functions (LF) of different spectral type galaxies. The VVDS data, covering ~70% of the life of the Universe, allow for the first time to study from the same sample and with good statistical accuracy the evolution of the LFs by galaxy type in several rest frame bands from a purely magnitude selected sample. The magnitude limit of the VVDS allows the determination of the faint end slope of the LF with unprecedented accuracy. Galaxies have been classified in four spectral classes, using their colours and redshift, and LFs have been derived in the U, B, V, R and I rest frame bands from z=0.05 to z=1.5. We find a significant steepening of the LF going from early to late types. The M* parameter is significantly fainter for late type galaxies and this difference increases in the redder bands. Within each of the galaxy spectral types we find a brightening of M* with increasing redshift, ranging from =< 0.5 mag for early type galaxies to ~1 mag for the latest type galaxies, while the slope of the LF of each spectral type is consistent with being constant with redshift. The LF of early type galaxies is consistent with passive evolution up to z~1.1, while the number of bright early type galaxies has decreased by ~40% from z~0.3 to z~1.1. We also find a strong evolution in the normalization of the LF of latest type galaxies, with an increase of more than a factor 2 from z~0.3 to z~1.3: the density of bright late type galaxies in the same redshift range increases of a factor ~6.6. These results indicate a strong type-dependent evolution and identifies the latest spectral types as responsible for most of the evolution of the UV-optical luminosity function out to z=1.5.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0506393,
title = {The VIMOS VLT Deep Survey - Evolution of the luminosity functions by galaxy type up to z=1.5 from first epoch data},
author = {E. Zucca and O. Ilbert and S. Bardelli and L. Tresse and G. Zamorani and S. Arnouts and L. Pozzetti and M. Bolzonella and D. Bottini and B. Garilli and V. Le Brun and O. Le Fèvre and D. Maccagni and J. P. Picat and R. Scaramella and M. Scodeggio and G. Vettolani and A. Zanichelli and C. Adami and M. Arnaboldi and A. Cappi and S. Charlot and P. Ciliegi and T. Contini and S. Foucaud and P. Franzetti and I. Gavignaud and L. Guzzo and A. Iovino and H. J. McCracken and B. Marano and C. Marinoni and A. Mazure and B. Meneux and R. Merighi and S. Paltani and R. Pello` and A. Pollo and M. Radovich and M. Bondi and A. Bongiorno and G. Busarello and O. Cucciati and L. Gregorini and F. Lamareille and G. Mathez and Y. Mellier and P. Merluzzi and V. Ripepi and D. Rizzo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0506393},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
18 pages with encapsulated figures, revised version after referee's comments, accepted for publication in A&A