Modelling the deep counts: luminosity evolution, dust and faint galaxies

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Abstract
In this paper we analyse the deep number counts problem, taking account of new observational and theoretical developments. First, we show that the new Bruzual & Chariot models allow a new class of spiral-dominated luminosity evolution (LE) model, where significant amounts of the LE needed to fit faint count data are due to spiral rather than early-type galaxies. Secondly, we show that the inclusion of dust may be a vital ingredient for obtaining fits with any LE model. Thirdly, we compare the quality of fit of both the spiral and the early-type LE models, including dust, for a wide variety of observational data. We find that parameters can be found for both LE models which allow a good fit to all data with the exception of the faintest B > 25 counts in the case of q0 = 0.5 cosmologies, where some luminosity-dependent evolution may be needed. We show here that the steepening with redshift of the luminosity function of late-type galaxies allows a fit to the counts in B and K, but also to the recent HST I-band counts as a function of morphological type by Abraham et al.
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