Skip to main content
Article
Evidence for a fast evolution of the UV luminosity function beyond redshift 6 from a deep HAWK-I survey of the GOODS-S field
Astronomy & Astrophysics (2009)
  • M. Castellano
  • A. Fontana
  • K. Boutsia
  • A. Grazian
  • L. Pentericci
  • R. Bouwens
  • M. Dickinson
  • Mauro Giavalisco, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
  • P. Santini
  • S. Cristiani
  • F. Fiore
  • S. Gallozzi
  • E. Giallongo
  • R. Maiolino
  • F. Mannucci
  • N. Menci
  • A. Moorwood
  • M. Nonino
  • D. Paris
  • A. Renzini
  • P. Rosati
  • S. Salimbeni
  • V. Testa
  • E. Vanzella
Abstract
We perform a deep search for galaxies in the redshift range 6.51, Y-J<1.5 and Y-K<2. The other public data in the UBVRIJHK bands are used to reject possible low redshift interlopers. The output has been compared with extensive Monte Carlo simulations to quantify the observational effects of our selection criteria as well as the effects of photometric errors. We detect 7 high quality candidates in the magnitude range Y=25.5-26.7. This interval samples the critical range for M* at z>6 (M_1500 ~- 19.5 to -21.5). After accounting for the expected incompleteness, we rule out at a 99% confidence level a Luminosity Function constant from z=6 to z=7, even including the effects of cosmic variance. For galaxies brighter than M_1500=-19.0 we derive a luminosity density rho_UV=1.5^{+2.0}_{-0.9} 10^25 erg/s/Hz/Mpc3, implying a decrease by a factor 3.5 from z=6 to z~6.8. On the basis of our findings, we make predictions for the surface densities expected in future surveys surveys, based on ULTRA-VISTA, HST-WFC3 or JWST-NIRCam, evaluating the best observational strategy to maximise their impact.
Keywords
  • Galaxies:distances and redshift,
  • Galaxies: evolution,
  • Galaxies: high redshift,
  • Galaxies: luminosity function
Publication Date
2009
Publisher Statement
This paper was harvested from ArXiv.org and ArXiv identifier is arXiv:0909.2853
Citation Information
M. Castellano, A. Fontana, K. Boutsia, A. Grazian, et al.. "Evidence for a fast evolution of the UV luminosity function beyond redshift 6 from a deep HAWK-I survey of the GOODS-S field" Astronomy & Astrophysics (2009)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mauro_giavalisco/47/