Wednesday

I will introduce a galaxy sample selection method using core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Using a complete sample of ~900 z0.2 CCSNe, identified from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey, as pointers towards their host galaxies, we find 140 ‘new’ low surface brightness galaxies whilst identifying the hosts. Selecting star-forming galaxies using CCSNe leads to the removal of surface brightness and mass biases. I will demonstrate how CCSN-rates as a function of galaxy stellar mass can be used to trace both star-formation rates and the form of the galaxy stellar mass function. Resultant number densities are well-constrained deep into the dwarf regime and are found to increase following a power-law with decreasing mass down to the low mass limit of ~10^6.4 M⊙, well represented by a single Schechter function with a faint-end slope of α = -1.41. This lack of downturn to galaxy number densities down to the low mass limit implies that overcoming surface brightness and stellar mass biases is important for an assessment of the sub-structure problem.