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The local space density of dwarf galaxies

Jon Loveday
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Abstract

We estimate the luminosity function of field galaxies over a range of ten magnitudes (-22 < M_{B_J} < -12 for H_0 = 100 km/s/Mpc) by counting the number of faint APM galaxies around Stromlo-APM redshift survey galaxies at known distance. The faint end of the luminosity function rises steeply at M_{B_J} \approx -15, implying that the space density of dwarf galaxies is at least two times larger than predicted by a Schechter function with flat faint-end slope. Such a high abundance of dwarf galaxies at low redshift can help explain the observed number counts and redshift distributions of faint galaxies without invoking exotic models for galaxy evolution.

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Jon Loveday. 1997-06-11. The local space density of dwarf galaxies. https://doi.org/10.1086/304778

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