Deep sub-mm surveys with SCUBA

Details Deep sub-mm surveys with SCUBA Deep sub-mm surveys with SCUBA

1998-10-19

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9810281v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

10 pages LaTeX, 4 figures, uses AIP style (included). Invited review at Maryland Astrophysics Conference ``After the dark ages

Scientific paper

10.1063/1.58616

We review published deep surveys in the submillimeter (sub-mm) regime from the new Sub-millimetre Common User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the 15-m James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Summarising the number counts of faint sub-mm sources determined from the different surveys we show that the deepest counts from our completed SCUBA Lens Survey, down to 0.5mJy at 850um fully account for the far-infrared background (FIRB) detected by COBE. We conclude that a population of distant, dust-enshrouded ultraluminous infrared galaxies dominate the FIRB emission around 1mm. We go on to discuss the nature of this population, starting with the identification of their optical counterparts, where we highlight the important role of deep VLA radio observations in this process. Taking advantage of the extensive archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of our fields, we then investigate the morphological nature of the sub-mm galaxy population and show that a large fraction exhibit disturbed or interacting morphologies. By employing existing broadband photometry, we derive crude redshift limits for a complete sample of faint sub-mm galaxies indicating that the majority lie at z<5, with at most 20% at higher redshifts. We compare these limits to the initial spectroscopic results from various sub-mm samples. Finally we discuss the nature of the sub-mm population, its relationship to other classes of high-redshift galaxies and its future role in our understanding of the formation of massive galaxies.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Deep sub-mm surveys with SCUBA does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Deep sub-mm surveys with SCUBA, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Deep sub-mm surveys with SCUBA will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-656871