The Galaxy Optical Luminosity Function from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES)

TL;DR

This paper measures the optical luminosity function of galaxies between redshifts 0.05 and 0.75 using the AGES survey, revealing evolution in galaxy brightness and differences between blue and red galaxy populations over time.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurement of galaxy luminosity function evolution in the specified redshift range from the AGES survey, highlighting differential evolution between galaxy types.

Findings

Luminosity density increases with redshift, more rapidly for blue galaxies.

Results are consistent with SDSS at low redshift.

Evidence of differential evolution between blue and red galaxies.

Abstract

We present the galaxy optical luminosity function for the redshift range 0.05<z<0.75 from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES), a spectroscopic survey of 7.6 sq. deg. in the Bootes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Our statistical sample is comprised of 12,473 galaxies with known redshifts down to I=20.4 (AB). Our results at low redshift are consistent with those from SDSS; at higher redshift, we find strong evidence for evolution in the luminosity function, including differential evolution between blue and red galaxies. We find that the luminosity density evolves as (1+z)^(0.54+/-0.64) for red galaxies and (1+z)^(1.64+/-0.39) for blue galaxies.