THE LUMINOSITY FUNCTION FOR L-GREATER-THAN-L-ASTERISK GALAXIES AT Z-GREATER-THAN-3

Through the use of multiband (U, B-j, R-F, I-N) photometry we have iso lated high-redshift (3.0 < z < 3.5) galaxy candidates in surveys of 1. 27 deg(2) to R-F = 21.25 and 0.02 deg(2) to R-F = 23.5. Our pool of ca ndidates constrains the nature of the 3.0 < z < 3.5 luminosity functio n over the range L less than or similar to L less than or similar to 100L if we grant a similar level of completeness to these data as for very faint samples (to R = 25.5) selected in a similar fashion. Our c onstraints agree with the high-redshift sky density at R-F = 20.5 esti mated from Yee et al.'s serendipitous discovery of a bright, z = 2.7 g alaxy, as well as the density at R-F approximate to 23 by Steidel et a l. We strongly rule out-by more than 2 orders of magnitude at M-RF = - 25-the L > L luminosity function for z = 3-5 galaxies obtained by a p hotometric redshift analysis of the Hubble deep field (HDF) by Gwyn & Hartwick. Our results at R-F approximate to 23 are more consistent wit h the photometric redshift analysis of the faint HDF galaxies by Sawic ki, Lin, & Yee, but our present upper limits at the brightest magnitud es (R-F < 21.5, M-RF < -24) allow more generous volume densities of th ese super-L galaxies.