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Securing the Faint End of the Galaxy Luminosity Function

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Helmut Jerjen ,
Brent Tully  and
Neil Trentham
Helmut Jerjen*
Affiliation:
Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Weston ACT 2611, Australia
Brent Tully
Affiliation:
Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 96822, USA
Neil Trentham
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB03 0HA, UK
*
DCorresponding author. Email: jerjen@mso.anu.edu.au
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Abstract

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The history of the formation of galaxies must leave an imprint in the properties of the mass function of collapsed objects and in its observational manifestation, the galaxy luminosity function. At present the faint end of the luminosity function is poorly known. Accurate knowledge of the luminosity function over the full range of galaxy clustering scales would provide serious constraints on both initial cosmological conditions and modulating astrophysical processes.

Wide field imaging surveys with large ground-based telescopes now provide the capability to identify dwarf galaxy candidates to very faint levels (μR ≈ 26 mag arcsec–2), too low in surface brightness for spectroscopy (measuring redshifts) even with telescopes like Keck. Other means have to be explored to get distance information for these candidates in order to separate cluster members from back/foreground systems beyond doubt. On the quest to establish the properties (slope and possible turning point) of the the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function we are employing the surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) method to determine adequate distances, potentially resulting in the best definition ever of the luminosity function to MR ≈ –11 in the cluster and group environments.

Keywords

galaxies: distances and redshiftsgalaxies: dwarfgalaxies: luminosity functiongalaxies: mass function
Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 21 , Special Issue 4: Structure and Dynamics in the Local Universe , 2004 , pp. 356 - 359
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2004

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