The Luminosity Function for Different Morphological Types in the CFA Redshift Survey
Abstract
We derive the luminosity function for different morphological types in the original CfA Redshift Survey (CfA1) and in the first two slices of the CfA Redshift Survey Extension (CfA2). CfA1 is a complete sample containing 2397 galaxies distributed over 2.7 steradians with m_Z_ < 14.5. The first two complete slices of CfA2 contain 1862 galaxies distributed over 0.42 steradians with m_Z_ = 15.5. The shapes of the E-S0 and spiral luminosity functions (LF) are indistinguishable. We do not confirm the steeply decreasing faint end in the E-S0 luminosity function found by Loveday et at. [ApJ, 390,338(1992)] for an independent sample in the southern hemisphere. We demonstrate that incomplete classification in deep redshift surveys can lead to underestimates of the faint end of the elliptical luminosity function and could be partially responsible for the difference between the CfA survey and other local field surveys. The faint end of the LF for the Magellanic spirals and irregulars is very steep. The Sm-Im luminosity function is well fit by a Schechter function with M^*^= -18.79, α= -1.87, and φ^*^=0.6X10^-3^ for M_Z_ < 13. These galaxies are largely responsible for the excess at the faint end of the general CfA luminosity function [Marzke et al. ApJ (in press) (1994)]. The abundance of intrinsically faint, blue galaxies nearby affects the interpretation of deep number counts. The dwarf population increases the expected counts at B = 25 in a no-evolution, q_0_ = 0.05 model by a factor of two over standard no-evolution estimates. These dwarfs change the expected median redshift in deep redshift surveys by less than 10%. Thus the steep Sm-Im LF may contribute to the reconciliation of deep number counts with deep redshift surveys.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- August 1994
- DOI:
- 10.1086/117081
- Bibcode:
- 1994AJ....108..437M
- Keywords:
-
- Galactic Structure;
- Red Shift;
- Sky Surveys (Astronomy);
- Stellar Luminosity;
- Cosmology;
- Dwarf Galaxies;
- Spatial Distribution;
- Astrophysics;
- SURVEYS;
- GALAXIES: DISTANCES AND REDSHIFTS;
- GALAXIES: FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS