A large H{\alpha} survey at z=2.23, 1.47, 0.84 & 0.40: the 11 Gyr evolution of star-forming galaxies from HiZELS

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This paper presents new deep and wide narrow-band surveys undertaken with UKIRT, Subaru and the VLT; a combined effort to select large, robust samples of H-alpha (Ha) emitters at z=0.40, 0.84, 1.47 and 2.23 (corresponding to look-back times of 4.2, 7.0, 9.2 and 10.6 Gyrs) in a uniform manner over ~2 deg^2 in the COSMOS and UDS fields.

• The deep Ha surveys reach ~3M_sun/yr out to z=2.2 for the first time, while the wide area and the coverage over two independent fields allow to greatly overcome cosmic variance.
• A total of 1742, 637, 515 and 807 Ha emitters are homogeneously selected at z=0.40, 0.84, 1.47 and 2.23, respectively, and used to determine the Ha luminosity function and its evolution.
• The faint-end slope is found to be -1.60+-0.08 over z=0-2.23, showing no evolution.