J-PLUS: The star formation main sequence and rate density at d  ≲  75 Mpc

¹ Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón, Plaza San Juan 1, 44001 Teruel, Spain
e-mail: gvilellarojo@gmail.com
² Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón, Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Plaza San Juan 1, 44001 Teruel, Spain
³ Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil
⁴ Departamento de Física Teórica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
⁵ IAA-CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
⁶ Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁷ IPARCOS, Facultad de CC Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁸ Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, UK
⁹ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
¹⁰ Observatório Nacional, Rua General José Cristino, 77 – Bairro Imperial de São Cristóvão, 20921-400 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
¹¹ Donostia International Physics Centre (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
¹² IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
¹³ University of Michigan, Department of Astronomy, 1085 South University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
¹⁴ University of Alabama, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Gallalee Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, USA

Received: 11 August 2020
Accepted: 7 January 2021

Abstract

Aims. Our goal is to estimate the star formation main sequence (SFMS) and the star formation rate density (SFRD) at z ≤ 0.017 (d ≲ 75 Mpc) using the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) first data release, that probes 897.4 deg² with twelve optical bands.

Methods. We extract the Hα emission flux of 805 local galaxies from the J-PLUS filter J0660, being the continuum level estimated with the other eleven J-PLUS bands, and the dust attenuation and nitrogen contamination corrected with empirical relations. Stellar masses (M_⋆), Hα luminosities (L_Hα), and star formation rates (SFRs) were estimated by accounting for parameters covariances. Our sample comprises 689 blue galaxies and 67 red galaxies, classified in the (u − g) vs. (g − z) color–color diagram, plus 49 AGN.

Results. The SFMS is explored at log M_⋆ ≳ 8 and it is clearly defined by the blue galaxies, with the red galaxies located below them. The SFMS is described as log SFR = 0.83log M_⋆ − 8.44. We find a good agreement with previous estimations of the SFMS, especially those based on integral field spectroscopy. The Hα luminosity function of the AGN-free sample is well described by a Schechter function with log L_Hα^∗ = 41.34, log ϕ^* = −2.43, and α = −1.25. Our measurements provide a lower characteristic luminosity than several previous studies in the literature.

Conclusions. The derived star formation rate density at d ≲ 75 Mpc is log ρ_SFR = −2.10 ± 0.11, with red galaxies accounting for 15% of the SFRD. Our value is lower than previous estimations at similar redshift, and provides a local reference for evolutionary studies regarding the star formation history of the Universe.