The galaxy UV luminosity function at z ≃ 11 from a suite of public JWST ERS, ERO, and Cycle-1 programs
Abstract
We present a new determination of the evolving galaxy ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function (LF) over the redshift range 9.5 < z < 12.5 based on a wide-area (>250 arcmin2) data set of JWST NIRCam near-infrared imaging assembled from 13 public JWST surveys. Our relatively large-area search allows us to uncover a sample of 61 robust z > 9.5 candidates detected at ≥8σ, and hence place new constraints on the intermediate-to-bright end of the UV LF. When combined with our previous JWST + UltraVISTA results, this allows us to measure the form of the LF over a luminosity range corresponding to four magnitudes (M1500). At these early times we find that the galaxy UV LF is best described by a double power-law function, consistent with results obtained from recent ground-based and early JWST studies at similar redshifts. Our measurements provide further evidence for a relative lack of evolution at the bright-end of the UV LF at z = 9-11, but do favour a steep faint-end slope (α ≤ -2). The luminosity-weighted integral of our evolving UV LF provides further evidence for a gradual smooth (exponential) decline in co-moving star-formation rate density (ρSFR) at least out to z ≃ 12, with our determination of ρSFR(z = 11) lying significantly above the predictions of many theoretical models of galaxy evolution.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- January 2024
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/stad3471
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2304.14469
- Bibcode:
- 2024MNRAS.527.5004M
- Keywords:
-
- galaxies: evolution;
- galaxies: formation;
- galaxies: high-redshift;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 20 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS