The HerMES SPIRE submillimeter local luminosity function

Vaccari, M.; Marchetti, L.; Franceschini, A.; Altieri, B.; Amblard, A.; Arumugam, V.; Auld, R.; Aussel, H.; Babbedge, T.; Blain, A.; Bock, J.; Boselli, A.; Buat, V.; Burgarella, D.; Castro-Rodríguez, N.; Cava, A.; Chanial, P.; Clements, D. L.; Conley, A.; Conversi, L.; Cooray, A.; Dowell, C. D.; Dwek, E.; Dye, S.; Eales, S.; Elbaz, D.; Farrah, D.; Fox, M.; Gear, W.; Glenn, J.; González Solares, E. A.; Griffin, M.; Halpern, M.; Hatziminaoglou, E.; Huang, J.; Ibar, E.; Isaak, K.; Ivison, R. J.; Lagache, G.; Levenson, L.; Lu, N.; Madden, S.; Maffei, B.; Mainetti, G.; Mortier, A. M. J.; Nguyen, H. T.; O'Halloran, B.; Oliver, S. J.; Omont, A.; Page, M. J.; Panuzzo, P.; Papageorgiou, A.; Pearson, C. P.; Pérez-Fournon, I.; Pohlen, M.; Rawlings, J. I.; Raymond, G.; Rigopoulou, D.; Rizzo, D.; Rodighiero, G.; Roseboom, I. G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Sánchez Portal, M.; Schulz, B.; Scott, D.; Seymour, N.; Shupe, D. L.; Smith, A. J.; Stevens, J. A.; Symeonidis, M.; Trichas, M.; Tugwell, K. E.; Valiante, E.; Valtchanov, I.; Vigroux, L.; Wang, L.; Ward, R.; Wright, G.; Xu, C. K.; Zemcov, M.
Bibliographical reference

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 518, id.L20

Advertised on:
7
2010
Number of authors
80
IAC number of authors
3
Citations
61
Refereed citations
56
Description
Local luminosity functions are fundamental benchmarks for high-redshift galaxy formation and evolution studies as well as for models describing these processes. Determining the local luminosity function in the submillimeter range can help to better constrain in particular the bolometric luminosity density in the local Universe, and Herschel offers the first opportunity to do so in an unbiased way by imaging large sky areas at several submillimeter wavelengths. We present the first Herschel measurement of the submillimeter 0 < z < 0.2 local luminosity function and infrared bolometric (8-1000 μm) local luminosity density based on SPIRE data from the HerMES Herschel key program over 14.7 deg2. Flux measurements in the three SPIRE channels at 250, 350 and 500 μm are combined with Spitzer photometry and archival data. We fit the observed optical-to-submillimeter spectral energy distribution of SPIRE sources and use the 1/Vmax estimator to provide the first constraints on the monochromatic 250, 350 and 500 μm as well as on the infrared bolometric (8-1000 μm) local luminosity function based on Herschel data. We compare our results with modeling predictions and find a slightly more abundant local submillimeter population than predicted by a number of models. Our measurement of the infrared bolometric (8-1000 μm) local luminosity function suggests a flat slope at low luminosity, and the inferred local luminosity density, 1.31-0.21+0.24 × 108 L&sun; Mpc-3, is consistent with the range of values reported in recent literature. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.
Related projects
Project Image
Formation and Evolution of Galaxies: Observations in Infrared and other Wavelengths
This IAC research group carries out several extragalactic projects in different spectral ranges, using space as well as ground-based telescopes, to study the cosmological evolution of galaxies and the origin of nuclear activity in active galaxies. The group is a member of the international consortium which built the SPIRE instrument for the
Ismael
Pérez Fournon