Search for Primeval Galaxies

Most models for galaxy formation in an evolving Universe include a high-luminosity epoch of bright star formation at a redshift of 2 < z < 100. These objects could have escaped detection on deep red photographic plates if they are extended ( 100 arcsec2) and fade into the sky background. This paper reports an unsuccessful search for extended red objects, in apparently blank regions of the sky. A special photometer with high red sensitivity was used to compare the sky brightness in two halves of a circular aperture. Search beams between 17" and 40" diameter were used, and altogether 2.0 x 10 arcseconds2 were searched. With 90 percent confidence, there was no object in the area searched with a flux greater than 38 x 10-29 ergs cm - 2 1 Hz-1 in our bandpass of 620() 8900 A. Furthermore, fluctuations on a scale of 26" were smaller than 6 x 10-29 ergs 1 Hz-1. The results constrain the luminosity and number density of primeval galaxies in the standard model. Subject headings: cosmology - galaxies