PRIMUS: CONSTRAINTS ON STAR FORMATION QUENCHING AND GALAXY MERGING, AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE STELLAR MASS FUNCTION FROM z = 0-1.

We measure the evolution of the stellar mass function (SMF) from z = 0-1 using multi-wavelength imaging and spectroscopic redshifts from the PRism MUlti-object Survey (PRIMUS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). From PRIMUS we construct an i < 23 flux-limited sample of ~40,000 galaxies at z = 0.2-1.0 over five fields totaling ≈5.5 deg2, and from the SDSS we select ~170,000 galaxies at z = 0.01-0.2 that we analyze consistently with respect to PRIMUS to minimize systematic errors in our evolutionary measurements. We find that the SMF of all galaxies evolves relatively little since z = 1, although we do find evidence for mass assembly downsizing; we measure a ≈30% increase in the number density of ~1010M☉ galaxies since z ≈ 0.6, and a ≲10% change in the number density of all ≳1011 M☉ galaxies since z ≈ 1. Dividing the sample into star-forming and quiescent using an evolving cut in specific star formation rate, we find that the number density of ~1010 M☉ star-forming galaxies stays relatively constant since z ≈ 0.6, whereas the space density of ≳1011 M☉ star-forming galaxies decreases by ≈50% between z ≈ 1 and z ≈ 0. Meanwhile, the number density of ~1010 M☉ quiescent galaxies increases steeply toward low redshift, by a factor of ~2-3 since z ≈ 0.6, while the number of massive quiescent galaxies remains approximately constant since z ≈ 1. These results suggest that the rate at which star-forming galaxies are quenched increases with decreasing stellar mass, but that the bulk of the stellar mass buildup within the quiescent population occurs around ~1010.8 M☉. In addition, we conclude that mergers do not appear to be a dominant channel for the stellar mass buildup of galaxies at z < 1, even among massive (≳1011 M☉) quiescent galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]