2009/04/30 by Enzo Pascale, E. Pascale, Peter A. R. Ade +41 · 70 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Cosmic infrared background #Cosmic microwave background #Extragalactic background light #Far infrared #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Infrared #Luminosity #Luminous infrared galaxy #Physics #Redshift #Star formation #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Surface brightness #astro-ph.CO
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/707/2/1740
published in The Astrophysical Journal 707(2), 1740-1749 (IOP Publishing) · Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Maps available at http://blastexperiment.info/
arxiv created 2009/09/26 · openalex publication_date 2009/12/07 · arxiv updated 2010/01/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We directly measure redshift evolution in the mean physical properties (far-infrared luminosity, temperature, and mass) of the galaxies that produce the cosmic infrared background (CIB), using measurements from the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST), and Spitzer which constrain the CIB emission peak. This sample is known to produce a surface brightness in the BLAST bands consistent with the full CIB, and photometric redshifts are identified for all of the objects. We find that most of the 70 μm background is generated at z ≲ 1 and the 500 μm background generated at z ≳ 1. A significant growth is observed in the mean luminosity from ∼10 9 –10 12 L ☉ , and in the mean temperature by 10 K, from redshifts 0 < z < 3. However, there is only weak positive evolution in the comoving dust mass in these galaxies across the same redshift range. We also measure the evolution of the far-infrared luminosity density, and the star formation rate history for these objects, finding good agreement with other infrared studies up to z ∼ 1, exceeding the contribution attributed to optically selected galaxies.