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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Astrophysics and Astronomy

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2003

Galaxies : general

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Optical And Near-Infrared Properties Of Galaxies. I. Luminosity And Stellar Mass Functions, Ef Bell, Dh Mcintosh, N Katz, Md Weinberg Jan 2003

The Optical And Near-Infrared Properties Of Galaxies. I. Luminosity And Stellar Mass Functions, Ef Bell, Dh Mcintosh, N Katz, Md Weinberg

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

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 corrections for passband shifting and galaxy evolution, as well as present-day stellar mass-to-light (M/L) ratios, by fitting the optical-near-infrared galaxy data with simple models. Accounting for the 8% galaxy overdensity in the SDSS early data release region, the optical and near-infrared luminosity functions we construct for this sample agree with most recent literature optical and near-infrared determinations within the uncertainties. We argue that 2MASS …


A First Estimate Of The Baryonic Mass Function Of Galaxies, Ef Bell, Dh Mcintosh, N Katz, Md Weinberg Jan 2003

A First Estimate Of The Baryonic Mass Function Of Galaxies, Ef Bell, Dh Mcintosh, N Katz, Md Weinberg

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We estimate the baryonic (stellar+cold gas) mass function of galaxies in the local universe by assigning a complete sample of Two Micron All Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies a gas fraction based on a statistical sample of the entire population, under the assumption of a universally applicable stellar initial mass function. The baryonic mass function is similar to the stellar mass function at the high-mass end and has a reasonably steep faint-end slope owing to the typically high cold gas fractions and low stellar mass-to-light ratios characteristic of low-mass galaxies. The Schechter function fit parameters are phi*h-3 …