The ultraviolet luminosity function of star-forming galaxies between redshifts of 0.6 and 1.2

TL;DR

This study measures the ultraviolet luminosity functions of star-forming galaxies between redshifts 0.6 and 1.2 using XMM-OM data, revealing evolution in the characteristic brightness of these galaxies over time.

Contribution

It provides new UV luminosity function measurements in the 0.6-1.2 redshift range using XMM-OM, with improved data quality over previous GALEX-based studies.

Findings

Luminosity function shows evolution with brighter M* at higher redshift.

XMM-OM data offers better resolution and simpler K-correction than GALEX.

Excludes active galactic nuclei to focus on star-forming galaxies.

Abstract

We use ultraviolet imaging taken with the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor telescope (XMM-OM), covering 280 square arcminutes in the UVW1 band (effective wavelength 2910 Angstroms) to measure rest-frame ultraviolet (1500 Angstrom) luminosity functions of galaxies with redshifts z between 0.6 and 1.2. The XMM-OM data are supplemented by a large body of optical and infrared imaging to provide photometric redshifts. The XMM-OM data have a significantly narrower point-spread-function (resulting in less source confusion) and simpler K-correction than the GALEX data previously employed in this redshift range. Ultraviolet-bright active galactic nuclei are excluded to ensure that the luminosity functions relate directly to the star-forming galaxy population. Binned luminosity functions and parametric Schechter-function fits are derived in two redshift intervals: 0.6<z<0.8 and 0.8<z<1.2. We find that the luminosity function evolves such that the characteristic absolute magnitude M* is brighter for 0.8<z<1.2 than for 0.6<z<0.8.