THE MASSES OF LUMINOUS BLUE COMPACT GALAXIES AT INTERMEDIATE REDSHIFTS

摘要

Luminous Blue Compact Galaxies (LBCGs) at redshifts z ~ 0. 2 - 1. 3 are very similar to the most luminous low - mass starbursts in the local universe. Recently, various results have highlighted the key role that LBCGs play in our understanding of galaxy evolution over cosmological timescales. For instance: i) LBCGs have evolved more than any other galaxy class in the last ?8 Gyrs; ii) LBCGs are a major contributor to the observed enhancement of the star formation rate density of the universe at z ≤ 1; iii) LBCGs may be lower-mass counterparts of the recently discovered star-forming galaxies at z ?3; and iv) some LBCGs at z ≤ 1 are optimum candidates to be the progenitors of today's spheroidal galaxies, such as NGC 205. In this paper, we review current research on LBCGs at intermediate redshifts, with emphasis on their mass estimates.