Number Counts at 3 μm < λ < 10 μm from the Spitzer Space Telescope
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Abstract
Infrared source counts at wavelengths 3 < lambda < 10 um cover more than 10 magnitudes in source brightness, four orders of magnitude in surface density, and reach an integrated surface density of 10^5 sources/deg^2. At m<14 mag, most of the sources are Galactic stars, in agreement with models. After removal of Galactic stars, galaxy counts are consistent with what few measurements exist at nearby wavelengths. At 3.6 and 4.5 um, the galaxy counts follow the expectations of a Euclidean world model down to ~16 mag and drop below the Euclidean curve for fainter magnitudes. Counts at these wavelengths begin to show decreasing completeness around magnitude 19.5. At 5.8 and 8 um, the counts relative to a Euclidean world model show a large excess at bright magnitudes. This is probably because local galaxies emit strongly in the aromatic dust (``PAH'') features. The counts at 3.6 um resolve <50% of the Cosmic Infrared Background at that wavelength.