A K-BAND DEEP GALAXY SURVEY

We report the results of a K band deep imaging survey, with a 5 σ limit of K = 21.4 for galaxy detection (1 σ per 1″.2 pixel of K = 24.2). Number counts from K = 16.5 to K = 21.25 are given. Comparison with optical survey data on the field shows objects as red as (I-K) = 5 which most probably correspond to high-redshift (z ∼ 2) normal galaxies. No evidence is seen for any population of high-z protogalaxies or brown dwarfs. The results are placed in the context of extragalactic background light measurements.