Deconstructing the K-band number counts

Abstract

We present a study that links the NCs to the rest-frame luminosity functions (LFs) at the passbands probed by the observed K-band at different epochs. Making use of a large K-band selected sample in the Groth Field, HDFN and CDFS (∼0.27deg^(2)), we have derived highly reliable photometric redshift estimates that allow us to estimate LFs in the redshift range [0.25-1.25]. We find that the larger flattening in the slope of the K-band NCs is mostly a consequence of a prominent decrease in the characteristic density (φ∗) around z∼1, and an almost flat evolution of M∗.