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arXiv · 1602.05199

The z = 9-10 galaxy population in the Hubble Frontier Fields and CLASH surveys: The z=9 LF and further evidence for a smooth decline in UV luminosity at z >= 8

D. J. McLeod·R. J. McLure·J. S. Dunlop
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Abstract

We present the results of a search for z=9-10 galaxies within the first 8 pointings of the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) (4 clusters plus 4 parallel fields) and 20 cluster fields from the CLASH survey. Combined with our previous analysis of the Hubble Ultra-Deep field (HUDF), we have now completed a search for z=9-10 galaxies over ~130 sq. arcmin, across 29 HST WFC3/IR pointings. As in our recent study of the first two HFF fields, we confine our primary search for high-redshift candidates in the HFF imaging to the uniformly deep (i.e. sigma_160>30 AB mag in 0.5-arcsec diameter apertures), relatively low magnification regions. In the CLASH fields our search was confined to uniformly deep regions where sigma_160>28.8 AB mag. Our SED fitting analysis unveils a sample of 33 galaxy candidates at z_phot>=8.4, five of which have primary photometric redshift solutions in the range 9.6 =8. We conclude that the data continue to support a smooth decline in rho_UV over the redshift interval 6<z<10, in agreement with simple models of early galaxy evolution driven by the growth in the underlying dark matter halo mass function.

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D. J. McLeod, R. J. McLure, J. S. Dunlop. 2016-02-16. The z = 9-10 galaxy population in the Hubble Frontier Fields and CLASH surveys: The z=9 LF and further evidence for a smooth decline in UV luminosity at z >= 8. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstw904

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