The Ultraviolet Galaxy Luminosity Function in the Local Universe from GALEX Data
Abstract
We present the results of a determination of the galaxy luminosity function at ultraviolet wavelengths at redshifts of z=0.0-0.1 from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) data. We determined the luminosity function in the GALEX far-UV and near-UV bands from a sample of galaxies with UV magnitudes between 17 and 20 that are drawn from a total of 56.73 deg2 of GALEX fields overlapping the bJ-selected Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey. The resulting luminosity functions are fainter than previous UV estimates and result in total UV luminosity densities of 1025.55+/-0.12 and 1025.72+/-0.12 ergs s-1 Hz-1 Mpc-3 at 1530 and 2310 Å, respectively. This corresponds to a local star formation rate density in agreement with previous estimates made with Hα-selected data for reasonable assumptions about the UV extinction.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1086/424735
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0411364
- Bibcode:
- 2005ApJ...619L..15W
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: Luminosity Function;
- Mass Function;
- Surveys;
- Ultraviolet: Galaxies;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- This paper will be published as part of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Astrophysical Journal Letters Special Issue. Links to the full set of papers will be available at http://www.galex.caltech.edu/PUBLICATIONS/ after November 22, 2004