FIRBACK is a one of the deepest surveys performed at 170 microns with ISOPHOT
onboard ISO, and is aimed at the study of cosmic far infrared background
sources. About 300 galaxies are detected in an area of four square degrees, and
source counts present a strong slope of 2.2 on an integral "logN-logS" plot,
which cannot be due to cosmological evolution if no K-correction is present.
The resolved sources account for less than 10% of the Cosmic Infrared
Background at 170 microns. In order to understand the nature of the sources
contributing to the CIB, and to explain deep source counts at other
wavelengths, we have developed a phenomenological model, which constrains in a
simple way the luminosity function evolution with redshift, and fits all the
existing deep source counts from the mid-infrared to the submillimetre range.
Images, materials and papers available on the FIRBACK web:
http://wwwfirback.ias.u-psud.fr wwwfirback.ias.u-psud.frComment: proceedings of "ISO Surveys of a Dusty Universe", eds. D. Lemke, M.
Stickel, K. Wilke, Ringberg, 8-12 Nov 1999, to appear in Springer 'Lecture
Notes of Physics'. 8 pages, 7 eps figures, .sty include
