![]() | Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 1997. 35:
389-443 Copyright © 1997 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved |
Reprinted with kind permission from Annual Reviews, 4139 El Camino Way, Palo Alto, California, USA
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Abstract. The physical properties of the faint blue galaxy
population are reviewed
in the context of observational progress made via deep spectroscopic
surveys and Hubble Space Telescope imaging of field galaxies at various
limits and theoretical models for the integrated star formation history
of the universe. Notwithstanding
uncertainties in the properties of the local population of galaxies,
convincing
evidence has emerged from several independent studies for a rapid decline
in the volume-averaged star-formation rate of field galaxies since a
redshift z
1. Together with the small angular sizes and modest mean redshift of the
faintest detectable sources, these results can be understood in hierarchical
models where the bulk of the star formation occurred at redshifts between
z
1-2.
The physical processes responsible for the subsequent demise of the faint
blue galaxy population remain unclear. Considerable progress will be
possible
when the evolutionary trends can be monitored in the context of independent
physical parameters such as the underlying galactic mass.
Key Words: distant field galaxies, evolution, galaxy formation, cosmology
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