A best fit evolution scenario for the SCUBA galaxies

Abstract

We explore the evolution of the SCUBA sub-mm galaxy population using Monte Carlo simulations to generate synthetic sub-mm/radio color magnitude diagrams. To represent the local distribution of observed dust properties, we use a local far-infrared luminosity function derived from the IRAS 1.2 Jy catalog, bivariate in FIR luminosity and 60micron/100micron color. We assume a peak luminosity evolution scenario and a fixed cosmology, to fit a single parameter model to the existing sub-mm/radio data. Our best fitting model has a peak in the luminosity evolution at z=2.6.

4 pages, 1 figure. To appear in "A New Era in Cosmology", (ASP Conference Proceedings), eds. T. Shanks and N. Metcalfe