1 research outputs found
Spectroscopic Redshifts to z > 2 for Optically Obscured Sources Discovered with the Spitzer Space Telescope
We have surveyed a field covering 9.0 degrees^2 within the NOAO Deep
Wide-Field Survey region in Bootes with the Multiband Imaging Photometer on the
Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) to a limiting 24 um flux density of 0.3 mJy.
Thirty one sources from this survey with F(24um) > 0.75 mJy which are optically
very faint (R > 24.5 mag) have been observed with the low-resolution modules of
the Infrared Spectrograph on SST. Redshifts derived primarily from strong
silicate absorption features are reported here for 17 of these sources; 10 of
these are optically invisible (R > 26 mag), with no counterpart in B_W, R, or
I. The observed redshifts for 16 sources are 1.7 < z < 2.8. These represent a
newly discovered population of highly obscured sources at high redshift with
extreme infrared to optical ratios. Using IRS spectra of local galaxies as
templates, we find that a majority of the sources have mid-infrared spectral
shapes most similar to ultraluminous infrared galaxies powered primarily by
AGN. Assuming the same templates also apply at longer wavelengths, bolometric
luminosities exceed 10^13 L(solar).Comment: Accepted for publication on 7 Feb 2005 in ApJL. 7 pages 2 figure