Ultra deep akari observations of abell 2218: Resolving the 15 μm extragalactic background light

R. Hopwood, S. Serjeant, M. Negrello, C. Pearson, E. Egami, M. Im, J. P. Kneib, J. Ko, H. M. Lee, M. G. Lee, H. Matsuhara, T. Nakagawa, I. Smail, T. Takagi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present extragalactic number counts and a lower limit estimate for the cosmic infrared background (CIRB) at 15 μm from AKARI ultra deep mapping of the gravitational lensing cluster Abell 2218. These data are the deepest taken by any facility at this wavelength and uniquely sample the normal galaxy population. We have de-blended our sources, to resolve photometric confusion, and de-lensed our photometry to probe beyond AKARI's blank-field sensitivity. We estimate a de-blended 5σ sensitivity of 28.7 μJy. The resulting 15 μm galaxy number counts are a factor of 3 fainter than previous results, extending to a depth of ∼ 0.01 mJy and providing a stronger lower limit constraint on the CIRB at 15 μm of 1.9 ± 0.5 nW m-2 sr -1.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)L45-L50
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume716
Issue number1 PART 2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Galaxies: clusters: individual (Abell 2218)
  • Galaxies: evolution
  • Infrared: galaxies

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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