The VIMOS-VLT deep survey - galaxy luminosity function per morphological type up to z = 1.2
/ Authors
O. Ilbert, O. Ilbert, S. Lauger, L. Tresse, V. Buat, S. Arnouts, O. Fèvre, D. Burgarella, E. Zucca, S. Bardelli
and 41 more authors
G. Zamorani, D. Bottini, B. Garilli, V. Brun, 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, L. Pozzetti, M. Radovich, M. Bondi, A. Bongiorno, G. Busarello, P. Ciliegi, Y. Mellier, P. Merluzzi, V. Ripepi, D. Rizzo
/ Abstract
We have computed the evolution of the rest-frame B-band luminosity function (LF) for bulge and disk-dominated galaxies since z=1.2. We use a sample of 605 spectroscopic redshifts with I_{AB} 0.9 and bright galaxies showing a strongly decreasing LF slope \alpha=+0.55 \pm 0.21, and 32% of blue (B-I)_{AB}<0.9 and more compact galaxies which populate the LF faint-end. We observe that red bulge-dominated galaxies are already well in place at z~1, but the volume density of this population is increasing by a factor 2.7 between z~1 and z~0.6. It may be related to the building-up of massive elliptical galaxies in the hierarchical scenario. In addition, we observe that the blue bulge-dominated population is dimming by 0.7 magnitude between z~1 and z~0.6. Galaxies in this faint and more compact population could possibly be the progenitors of the local dwarf spheroidal galaxies.
Journal: Astronomy and Astrophysics