The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey: the radio view of the cosmic star formation history
We present a detailed study of the cosmic star formation history over 90 per cent of cosmic time (0 ≲ z ≲ 4), using deep, radio continuum observations that probe star formation activity independent of dust. The Low Frequency Array Two Metre Sky Survey has imaged three well-studied extragalactic fields, Elais-N1, Boötes, and the Lockman Hole, reaching rms sensitivity at. The availability of high-quality ancillary data from ultraviolet to far-infrared wavelengths has enabled accurate photometric redshifts and the robust separation of radio-bright AGN from their star-forming counterparts. We capitalize on this unique combination of deep, wide fields and robustly selected star-forming galaxies to construct radio luminosity functions and derive the cosmic star formation rate density. We carefully constrain and correct for scatter in the relation, which we find to be. Our derived star formation rate density lies between previous measurements at all redshifts studied. We derive higher star formation rate densities between z ∼0 and z ∼3 than are typically inferred from short wavelength emission; at earlier times, this discrepancy is reduced. Our measurements are generally in good agreement with far-infrared and radio-based studies, with small offsets resulting from differing star formation rate calibrations.
Item Type | Article |
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Additional information | © 2023 Oxford University Press. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad1602 |
Keywords | astro-ph.ga, galaxies: starburst, galaxies: evolution, galaxies: high redshift, galaxies: star formation, radio continuum: galaxies, astronomy and astrophysics, space and planetary science |
Date Deposited | 15 May 2025 15:12 |
Last Modified | 15 May 2025 15:12 |
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picture_as_pdf - 2305.15510v1.pdf
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copyright - Available under Unspecified