CADIS deep star counts: Galactic structure and the stellar luminosity function

In this paper we present the first results of deep star counts carried out within the Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey, CADIS (Meisenheimer et al. 1998) . Although CADIS was designed as an extragalactic survey, it also attempts to identify the stars in the fields in order to avoid confusion with quasar s and compact galaxies. We have identified a sample of about 300 faint stars (15.5 less than or equ al to R less than or similar to 23), which are well suited to study the str ucture of the Galaxy. The stars lie in two fields with central coordinates alpha(2000) = 16(h)24(m)32.(s)3, delta(2000) = 55 degrees 44'32 " (Galactic coordinates: l = 85 degrees, b = 45 degrees) and alpha(2000) = 9(h)13(m)47 .(s)5, delta(2000) = 46 degrees 14'20 " (l = 175 degrees, b = 45 degrees) t hereafter 16h and 9h field, respectively. The stars have been separated fro m galaxies by a classification scheme based on photometric spectra and morp hological criteria. Distances were derived by photometric parallaxes. We ar e able to find stars up to distances of approximate to 25 kpc above the Gal actic plane. The vertical density distribution of the stars shows the contr ibution of the thin disk, the stellar halo and the "thick disk" of the Gala xy. We give quantitative descriptions of the components in terms of exponen tial disks and a de Vaucouleurs spheroid. For the disk stars we derive the luminosity function. it is equal within the errors to the local luminosity function and continues to rise out to at least M-V = 13. Implications for t he mass function are briefly discussed.