THE LUMINOSITY FUNCTION OF GALAXIES IN COMPACT-GROUPS

We use counts of faint galaxies in the regions of compact groups to ex tend the study of the luminosity function of galaxies in compact group s to absolute magnitudes as faint as M(B) = - 14.5 + 5 log h. We find a slope of the faint end of the luminosity function of approximately a lpha = - 0.8, with a formal uncertainty of 0.15. This slope is not sig nificantly different from that found for galaxies in other environment s. Our results do not support previous suggestions of a dramatic under abundance of intrinsically faint galaxies in compact groups, which wer e based on extrapolations from fits at brighter magnitudes. The normal faint-end slope of the luminosity function in compact groups is in ag reement with previous evidence that most galaxies in compact groups ha ve not been dramatically affected by recent merging.