The local space density of galaxies with luminosity νLν (60 μm) ⪆ 10¹⁰L_sun; is derived from a sample of bright galaxies detected in the IRAS survey. The sample is complete to 5 Jy at 60 μm and covers one-quarter of the sky. With a maximum redshift in the sample of 0.081, this sample represents a survey of the infrared characteristics for infrared bright galaxies in the local universe. The space density of infrared bright galaxies appears comparable to or larger than other classes of extragalactic objects for total luminosities greater than 10¹¹L_sun;. It is suggested that a substantial fraction of all galaxies with L > 10¹⁰L_sun; undergo a period of extreme infrared activity.
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Soifer et al. (1986) studied this question.