A Redshift Survey of the Submillimeter Galaxy Population

We have obtained spectroscopic redshifts using the Keck-I telescope for a sample of 73 submillimeter (submm) galaxies for which precise positions are available. The galaxies lie at redshifts out to z=3.6, with a median redshift of 2.2. The dust-corrected ultraviolet (UV) luminosities of the galaxies rarely hint at their huge bolometric luminosities indicated by their radio/submm emission, underestimating the true luminosity by a median factor of ~100 for SMGs with pure starburst spectra. The 850mu, radio, and redshift data is used to estimate the dust temperatures (=36+-7 K), and characterize photometric redshifts. We calculate total infrared and bolometric luminosities, construct a luminosity function, and…