An infrared search for primeval galaxies

Abstract
For galaxy formation epochs now considered to be most likely, primeval galaxies will be infrared objects. We have therefore undertaken a deep survey of two ‘blank’ fields at J and K (1.2 and 2.2μm) to search for primeval galaxies. The one object discovered has infrared colours indicating that it is a faint foreground galaxy. The flux density of the brightest primeval galaxy which could have escaped detection, to 90 per cent confidence, in our survey of ∼ 1300 arcsec2 is ∼33 μJy at K. This limit constrains models of primeval galaxies by up to an order of magnitude over previous optical searches, for galaxy formation redshifts 5<z<10.

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