The K-band luminosity function in galaxy clusters to z similar to 1

present K-band luminosity functions for galaxies in a heterogeneous sample of 38 clusters at 0.1 < z < 1. Using infrared-selected galaxy samples, whic h generally reach 2 mag fainter than the characteristic galaxy luminosity L Y*, we fitted Schechter functions to background-corrected cluster galaxy co unts to determine K* as a function of redshift. Because of the magnitude li mit of our data, the faint-end slope a is fixed at -0.9 in the fitting proc ess. We find that K*(z) departs from no-evolution predictions at z > 0.4 an d is consistent with the behavior of a simple, passive luminosity evolution model in which galaxies form all their stars in a single burst at z(f) = 2 (3) in an H-0 = 65 km s(-1) Mpc(-1), Omega(M) = 0.3, Omega(A), = 0.7(0) uni verse. This differs from the flat or negative infrared luminosity evolution , which has been reported for high-redshift field galaxy samples. We find t hat the observed evolution appears to be insensitive to cluster X-ray lumin osity or optical richness, implying little variation in the evolutionary hi story of galaxies over the range of environmental densities spanned by our cluster sample. These results support and extend previous analyses based on the color evolution of high-redshift cluster E/SO galaxies, indicating not only that their stellar populations formed at high-redshift, but that the assembly of the galaxies themselves was largely complete by z approximate t o 1 and that subsequent evolution down to the present epoch was primarily p assive.