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DESI DR2 Galaxy luminosity functions

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Abstract

We present luminosity functions (LFs) in the g, r, z, and W_1 bands from the DESI Year 3 Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS), spanning redshifts 0.002 -15, stronger in red galaxies. Below -13, local overdensities and fragmentation of large galaxies amplify this upturn. A systematic offset between North and South appears at the brightest magnitudes, driven by red galaxies. Blue LFs match well across regions, suggesting the discrepancy arises from red galaxy profiles blending into noise in shallower North photometry. This remains inconclusive, so the bright-end offset is treated as a systematic uncertainty. We also present LFs using model Petrosian magnitudes, which are less sensitive to this issue. Splitting by redshift reveals small but significant residuals, indicating our global evolution model, while accurate near the LF knee, misses more complex trends. Using Loveday (2011) redshift limits, we find excellent agreement with GAMA, but with smaller errors. Our methods and results provide a foundation for studying LF dependence on environment, such as local density and cosmic web classification, offering strong constraints on galaxy formation models.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberstag866
Number of pages26
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume549
Issue number2
Early online date26 May 2026
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2026

Keywords

  • astro-ph.GA
  • galaxies: luminosity function
  • mass function –galaxies: statistics

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