Implications of the cosmic infrared background for light production and the star formation history in the Universe
R. Gispert, G. Lagache, J. L. Puget;
AaA, 2000, 360, 1
ABSTRACT:The Cosmic Background due to the integrated radiation from galaxies over the whole life of the Universe is reviewed.
We find that this
background is well constrained by measurements.
The total power in the
background is in the range 60-93 nWm-2sr-1.
The data
show the existence of a minimum separating the direct stellar radiation
from the infrared part due to radiation reemitted by dust.
This reemitted
dust radiation is about 1-2.6 time the background power in the
optical/near-IR thus much larger than the same ratio measured locally (30%).
The
far-infrared and submillimeter background is likely to be dominated by redshifted
infrared galaxies.
The long wavelength spectrum of the background being
significantly flatter than the spectrum of these galaxies it strongly constrains the
far-infrared radiation production rate history which must increase by a factor
larger than 10 between the present time and a redshift 1 and then stays rather
constant at higher redshift, contrary to the ultraviolet radiation production
rate which decreases rapidly.
Several models of galaxy evolution have
been proposed to explain the submillimeter background.
In this paper we do
not propose a new model; we systematically explore the allowed range of
evolution histories allowed by the data.
If infrared galaxies are mostly
powered by starbursts as indicated by recent observations, this infrared
production history reflects the history of starformation in the
Universe.
Appendix 1 and 2 are only available electronically with the On-Line publication
at http://link.springer.de/link/service/00230/
KEYWORDS: cosmology: observations, cosmology: diffuse radiation, infrared: galaxies
CODE: gispert2000