Galaxy luminosity function: a new analytic expression
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- Alcaniz, J. S.; Lima, J. A. S.
- Source
- Brazilian Journal of Physics. June 2004 34(2a)
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0103-9733
We propose a new analytic approximation for the luminosity function of galaxies. The suggested expression behaves like the Schechter function at the faint end (f ~ La) but departs considerably at the bright end (L >> L*). We argue here that such a behavior may provide a better fit for the current observational data than does the Schechter function. Its practical interest is stressed by considering roughly the data set provided by the Stromlo-APM redshift survey. Implications on the estimates of the matter density parameter from mass-to-light ratio are also briefly discussed.