The Optical and Near‐Infrared Properties of Galaxies. I. Luminosity and Stellar Mass Functions
Top Cited Papers
- 1 December 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Astronomical Society in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
- Vol. 149 (2), 289-312
- https://doi.org/10.1086/378847
Abstract
We use a large sample of galaxies from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to calculate galaxy luminosity and stellar mass functions in the local Universe. We estimate k-corrections, evolution corrections, and stellar mass-to-light ratios (M/Ls) by fitting the galaxy colors with simple models. Our optical and near-infrared luminosity functions agree with most recent literature optical and near-infrared determinations within the uncertainties. We argue that 2MASS is biased against low surface brightness galaxies, and use SDSS plus our knowledge of stellar populations to estimate that the true K-band luminosity function has a steeper faint end slope than the direct estimate. Assuming a universally-applicable stellar initial mass function (IMF), we derive the stellar mass function of galaxies. The faint end slope slope for the stellar mass function is steeper than -1.1, reflecting the low stellar M/Ls characteristic of low-mass galaxies. We estimate an upper limit to the stellar mass density in the local Universe Omega* h = 0.0020+/-0.0006 by assuming an IMF as rich in low-mass stars as allowed by observations of galaxy dynamics. Finally, we find that the characteristic luminosity or mass of early-type galaxies is larger than for later types, and the faint end slope is steeper for later types than for earlier types. Accounting for typing uncertainties, we estimate that at least half, and perhaps as much as 3/4, of the stellar mass in the Universe is in early-type galaxies. We present also SDSS/2MASS color-M/L correlations, an updated discussion of near-infrared stellar M/L estimates, and the volume-corrected distribution of g and K-band stellar M/Ls as a function of stellar mass. [Abridged]Keywords
Other Versions
This publication has 88 references indexed in Scilit:
- Clusters and superclusters in the Sloan Digital Sky SurveyAstronomy & Astrophysics, 2003
- The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Cosmic Spectrum and Star Formation HistoryThe Astrophysical Journal, 2003
- Spectroscopic Target Selection in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Main Galaxy SampleThe Astronomical Journal, 2002
- The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: Constraints on Cosmic Star Formation History from the Cosmic SpectrumThe Astrophysical Journal, 2002
- Statistical Properties of Bright Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric SystemThe Astronomical Journal, 2001
- Comparing Optical and Near-Infrared Luminosity FunctionsThe Astrophysical Journal, 2001
- The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical SummaryThe Astronomical Journal, 2000
- A Wide-Field [ITAL]K[/ITAL]-band Survey: The Luminosity Function of GalaxiesThe Astrophysical Journal, 1997
- The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric SystemThe Astronomical Journal, 1996
- The Canada-France Redshift Survey. VI. Evolution of the Galaxy Luminosity Function to Z approximately 1The Astrophysical Journal, 1995