2006/02/15 by O. Ilbert, O. Cucciati, Ilbert, O. +103 · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0602329
7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to A&A
arxiv created 2006/02/15 · openalex publication_date 2006/02/15 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We measure the evolution of the galaxy Luminosity Function as a function of large-scale environment up to z=1.5 from the VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) first epoch data. The 3D galaxy density field is reconstructed using a sample of 6582 galaxies with 17.5 < IAB < 24 and measured spectroscopic redshifts. We split the sample in four redshift bins up to z=1.5 and in under-dense and over-dense environments according to the average density contrast δ=0. There is a strong dependence of the Luminosity Function (LF) with large-scale environment up to z=1.2: the LF shape is observed to have a steeper slope in under-dense environments. We find a continuous brightening of ΔM* ~0.6 mag from z=0.25 to z=1.5 both in under-dense and over-dense environments. The rest-frame B-band luminosity density continuously increases in under-dense environments from z=0.25 to z=1.5 whereas its evolution in over-dense environments presents a peak at z~0.9. We interpret the peak by a complex interplay between the decrease of the star formation rate and the increasing fraction of galaxies at δ>0 due to hierarchical growth of structures. As the environmental dependency of the LF shape is already present at least up to z=1.2, we therefore conclude that either the shape of the LF is imprinted very early on in the life of the Universe, a `nature' process, or that `nurture' physical processes shaping up environment relation have already been efficient earlier than a look-back time corresponding to 30% of the current age of the Universe.