The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: spectral types and luminosity functions
Abstract
We describe the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) and the current status of the observations. In this exploratory paper, we apply a principal component analysis to a preliminary sample of 5869 galaxy spectra and use the two most significant components to split the sample into five spectral classes. These classes are defined by considering visual classifications of a subset of the 2dF spectra, and also by comparison with high-quality spectra of local galaxies. We calculate a luminosity function for each of the different classes and find that later-type galaxies have a fainter characteristic magnitude, and a steeper faint-end slope. For the whole sample we find M*=-19.7 (for Ω=1, H_0=100kms^-1Mpc^-1), α=-1.3, φ*=0.017. For class 1 (`early-type') we find M*=-19.6, α=-0.7, while for class 5 (`late-type') we find M*=-19.0, α=-1.7. The derived 2dF luminosity functions agree well with other recent luminosity function estimates.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- September 1999
- DOI:
- 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02721.x
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/9903456
- Bibcode:
- 1999MNRAS.308..459F
- Keywords:
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- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 15 pages, 14 ps and eps figures, Latex, MNRAS, accepted