We use very deep (R_lim=27) UGRI imaging to study the evolution of the faint end of the UV-selected galaxy luminosity function from z~4 to z~2. We find that the number of sub-L* galaxies increases from z~4 to z~3 while the number of bright ones appears to remain constant. We find no evidence for continued evolution to lower redshift, z~2. If real, this differential evolution of the luminosity function suggests that differentially comparing key diagnostics of dust, stellar populations, etc. as a function of z and L may let us isolate the key mechanisms that drive galaxy evolution at high redshift and we describe several such studies currently underway.
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0501314,
title = {UV Luminosity Function at z~4, 3, and 2},
author = {Marcin Sawicki and David Thomson},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0501314},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
To appear in proceedings of the conference "Starbursts - from 30 Doradus to Lyman break galaxies" (IoA, Cambridge UK, Sep 2004), Astrophysics & Space Science Library, eds. de Grijs R., Gonzalez Delgado R.M. (Kluwer: Dordrecht)