The AstroSat UV deep field north: direct determination of the UV luminosity function and its evolution from z ~ 0.8–0.4

Abstract

ABSTRACT We characterize the evolution of the rest-frame 1500 Å UV luminosity function (UVLF) from AstroSat/UVIT F154W and N242W imaging in the Great Observatories Origins Survey North (GOODS-N) field. With deep FUV observations, we construct the UVLF for galaxies at z$\lt 0.13$ and subsequently characterize it with a Schechter function fit. The fitted parameters are consistent with previous determinations. With deep NUV observations, we are able to construct the UVLF in seven redshift bins in the range z$\sim$0.4–0.8, with galaxies identified till $\sim$2 mag fainter than previous surveys, owing to the high angular-resolution of UVIT. The fitted Schechter function parameters are obtained for these UVLFs. At z$\sim$0.7–0.8, we also utilize Hubble Space Telescope (HST) F275W observations in the GOODS-N field to construct the UVLF in 2 redshift bins, whose fitted Schechter function parameters are then found to be consistent with that determined from UVIT at z$\sim$0.75. We thus probe the variation of the fitted UVLF parameters over z$\sim$0.8–0.4, a span of $\sim$2.7 Gyr in age. We find that the slope of the Schechter function, $\alpha$, is at its steepest at z$\sim$0.65, implying highest star-formation at this instant with galaxies being relatively more passive before and after this time. We infer that this is a short-lived instance of increased cosmic star-formation in the GOODS-N field even though cosmic star-formation may be winding-down over longer time-span at this redshift range.