The VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey: Evolution of the galaxy luminosity function up to z=2 in first epoch data
/ Authors
O. Ilbert, L. Tresse, E. Zucca, S. Bardelli, S. Arnouts, G. Zamorani, L. Pozzetti, D. Bottini, B. Garilli, V. Lebrun
and 37 more authors
O. Fèvre, D. Maccagni, J. Picat, R. Scaramella, M. Scodeggio, G. Vettolani, A. Zanichelli, C. Adami, M. Arnaboldi, M. Bolzonella, A. Cappi, S. Charlot, T. Contini, S. Foucaud, P. Franzetti, I. Gavignaud, L. Guzzo, A. Iovino, H. McCracken, B. Marano, C. Marinoni, G. Mathez, A. Mazure, B. Meneux, R. Merighi, S. Paltani, R. Pelló, A. Pollo, M. Radovich, M. Bondi, A. Bongiorno, G. Busarello, P. Ciliegi, Y. Mellier, P. Merluzzi, V. Ripepi, D. Rizzo
/ Abstract
We investigate the evolution of the galaxy luminosity function from the VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) from the present to z=2 in five (U, B, V, R and I) rest-frame band-passes. We use the first epoch VVDS deep sample of 11,034 spectra selected at 17.5<= I_{AB}<= 24.0, on which we apply the Algorithm for Luminosity Function (ALF), described in this paper. We observe a substantial evolution with redshift of the global luminosity functions in all bands. From z=0.05 to z=2, we measure a brightening of the characteristic magnitude M* included in the magnitude range 1.8-2.5, 1.7-2.4, 1.2-1.9, 1.1-1.8 and 1.0-1.6 in the U, B, V, R and I rest-frame bands, respectively. We confirm this differential evolution of the luminosity function with rest-frame wavelength, from the measurement of the comoving density of bright galaxies (M<M*(z=0.1)). This density increases by a factor of around 2.6, 2.2, 1.8, 1.5, 1.5 between z=0.05 and z=1 in the U, B, V, R, I bands, respectively. We also measure a possible steepening of the faint-end slope of the luminosity functions, with \Delta\alpha ~ -0.3 between z=0.05 and z=1, similar in all bands.