The evolution of the galaxy stellar-mass function over the last 12 billion years from a combination of ground-based and HST surveys

We present a new determination of the galaxy stellar-mass function (GSMF) over the redshift interval 0.25 <= z <= 3.75, derived from a combination of ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging surveys. Based on a near-IR-selected galaxy sample selected over a raw survey area of 3 deg(2) and spanning >= 4 dex in stellar mass, we fit the GSMF with both single and double Schechter functions, carefully accounting for Eddington bias to derive both observed and intrinsic parameter values. We find that a double Schechter function is a better fit to the GSMF at all redshifts, although the single and double Schechter function fits are statistically indistinguishable by z = 3.25. We find no evidence for significant evolution in M-star, with the intrinsic value consistent with log10( M-star/M-circle dot) = 10.55 +/- 0.1 over the full redshift range. Overall, our determination of the GSMF is in good agreement with recent simulation results, although differences persist at the highest stellar masses. Splitting our sample according to location on the UVJ plane, we find that the star-forming GSMF can be adequately described by a single Schechter function over the full redshift range, and has not evolved significantly since z similar or equal to 2.5. In contrast, both the normalization and the functional form of the passive GSMF evolve dramatically with redshift, switching from a single to a double Schechter function at z = 1.5. As a result, we find that while passive galaxies dominate the integrated stellar-mass density at z <= 0.75, they only contribute <= 10 per cent by z similar or equal to 3. Finally, we provide a simple parametrization that provides an accurate estimate of the GSMF, both observed and intrinsic, at any redshift within the range 0 <= z <= 4.

Automated summary

We present a new determination of the galaxy stellar-mass function (GSMF) over the redshift interval 0.25 <= z <= 3.75, derived from a combination of ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging surveys. Our findings show that the double Schechter function is a better fit to the GSMF at all redshifts, while passive galaxies only contribute <= 10% by z ≤ 3, despite dominating the integrated stellar-mass density at lower redshifts.