994 research outputs found
Rest-Frame Optical Emission Lines in z~3.5 Lyman Break selected Galaxies: The Ubiquity of Unusually High [OIII]/Hbeta Ratios at 2 Gyr
We present K-band spectra of rest-frame optical emission lines for 24
star-forming galaxies at z~3.2-3.7 using MOSFIRE on the Keck 1 telescope.
Strong rest-frame optical [O III] and Hbeta emission lines were detected in 18
LBGs. The median flux ratio of [O III]5007 to Hbeta is 5.1+/-0.5, a factor of
5-10x higher than in local galaxies with similar stellar masses. The observed
Hbeta luminosities are in good agreement with expectations from the estimated
star-formation rates, and none of our sources are detected in deep X-ray
stacks, ruling out significant contamination by active galactic nuclei.
Combining our sample with a variety of LBGs from the literature, including 49
galaxies selected in a very similar manner, we find a high median ratio of
[OIII]/Hbeta = 4.8+0.8-1.7. This high ratio seems to be an ubiquitous feature
of z~3-4 LBGs, very different from typical local star-forming galaxies at
similar stellar masses. The only comparable systems at z~0 are those with
similarly high specific star-formation rates, though ~5x lower stellar masses.
High specific star-formation rates either result in a much higher ionization
parameter or other unusual conditions for the interstellar medium, which result
in a much higher [OIII]/Hbeta line ratio. This implies a strong relation
between a global property of a galaxy, the specific star-formation rate, and
the local conditions of ISM in star-forming regions.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 5 color, published in ApJ, updated to reflect
published versio
Probing the Dawn of Galaxies at z~9-12: New Constraints from HUDF12/XDF and CANDELS Data
We present a comprehensive analysis of z>8 galaxies based on ultra-deep
WFC3/IR data. We constrain the evolution of the UV luminosity function (LF) and
luminosity densities from z~11 to z~8 by exploiting all the WFC3/IR data over
the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field from the HUDF09 and the new HUDF12 program, in
addition to the HUDF09 parallel field data, as well as wider area WFC3/IR
imaging over GOODS-South. Galaxies are selected based on the Lyman Break
Technique in three samples centered around z~9, z~10 and z~11, with seven z~9
galaxy candidates, and one each at z~10 and z~11. We confirm a new z~10
candidate (with z=9.8+-0.6) that was not convincingly identified in our first
z~10 sample. The deeper data over the HUDF confirms all our previous z>~7.5
candidates as genuine high-redshift candidates, and extends our samples to
higher redshift and fainter limits (H_160~29.8 mag). We perform one of the
first estimates of the z~9 UV LF and improve our previous constraints at z~10.
Extrapolating the lower redshift UV LF evolution should have revealed 17 z~9
and 9 z~10 sources, i.e., a factor ~3x and 9x larger than observed. The
inferred star-formation rate density (SFRD) in galaxies above 0.7 M_sun/yr
decreases by 0.6+-0.2 dex from z~8 to z~9, in good agreement with previous
estimates. The low number of sources found at z>8 is consistent with a very
rapid build-up of galaxies across z~10 to z~8. From a combination of all
current measurements, we find a best estimate of a factor 10x decrease in the
SFRD from z~8 to z~10, following (1+z)^(-11.4+-3.1). Our measurements thus
confirm our previous finding of an accelerated evolution beyond z~8, and
signify a rapid build-up of galaxies with M_UV<-17.7 within only ~200 Myr from
z~10 to z~8, in the heart of cosmic reionization.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables; submitted to Ap
A Rest-frame Optical View on z~4 Galaxies I: Color and Age Distributions from Deep IRAC Photometry of the IUDF10 and GOODS Surveys
We present a study of rest-frame UV-to-optical color distributions for z~4
galaxies based on the combination of deep HST/ACS+WFC3/IR data with
Spitzer/IRAC imaging. In particular, we use new, ultra-deep data from the IRAC
Ultradeep Field program (IUDF10). Our sample contains a total of ~2600 galaxies
selected as B-dropout Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) in the HUDF and one of its
deep parallel fields, the HUDF09-2, as well as GOODS-North and South. This
sample is used to investigate the UV continuum slopes beta and Balmer break
colors (J_125-[4.5]) as a function of rest-frame optical luminosity. The [4.5]
filter is chosen to avoid potential contamination by strong rest-frame optical
emission lines. We find that galaxies at M_z<-21.5 (roughly corresponding to
L*[z~4]) are significantly redder than their lower luminosity counterparts. The
UV continuum slopes and the J_125-[4.5] colors are well correlated. The most
simple explanation for this correlation is that the dust reddening at these
redshifts is better described by an SMC-like extinction curve, rather than the
typically assumed Calzetti reddening. After correcting for dust, we find that
the galaxy population shows mean stellar population ages in the range 10^8.5 to
10^9 yr, with a dispersion of ~0.5 dex, and only weak trends as a function of
luminosity. In contrast to some results from the literature, we find that only
a small fraction of galaxies shows Balmer break colors which are consistent
with extremely young ages, younger than 100 Myr. Under the assumption of smooth
star-formation histories, this fraction is only 12-19% for galaxies at
M_z<-19.75. Our results are consistent with a gradual build-up of stars and
dust in galaxies at z>4, with only a small fraction of stars being formed in
short, intense bursts of star-formation.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures; submitted to Ap
A Spectroscopic Redshift Measurement for a Luminous Lyman Break Galaxy at z=7.730 using Keck/MOSFIRE
We present a spectroscopic redshift measurement of a very bright Lyman break
galaxy at z=7.7302+-0.0006 using Keck/MOSFIRE. The source was pre-selected
photometrically in the EGS field as a robust z~8 candidate with H=25.0 mag
based on optical non-detections and a very red Spitzer/IRAC [3.6]-[4.5]
broad-band color driven by high equivalent width [OIII]+Hbeta line emission.
The Lyalpha line is reliably detected at 6.1 sigma and shows an asymmetric
profile as expected for a galaxy embedded in a relatively neutral
inter-galactic medium near the Planck peak of cosmic reionization. The line has
a rest-frame equivalent width of EW0=21+-4 A and is extended with
V_FWHM=360+90-70 km/s. The source is perhaps the brightest and most massive z~8
Lyman break galaxy in the full CANDELS and BoRG/HIPPIES surveys, having
assembled already 10^(9.9+-0.2) M_sol of stars at only 650 Myr after the Big
Bang. The spectroscopic redshift measurement sets a new redshift record for
galaxies. This enables reliable constraints on the stellar mass, star-formation
rate, formation epoch, as well as combined [OIII]+Hbeta line equivalent widths.
The redshift confirms that the IRAC [4.5] photometry is very likely dominated
by line emission with EW0(OIII+Hbeta)= 720-150+180 A. This detection thus adds
to the evidence that extreme rest-frame optical emission lines are a ubiquitous
feature of early galaxies promising very efficient spectroscopic follow-up in
the future with infrared spectroscopy using JWST and, later, ELTs.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, small updates to match ApJL accepted versio
Photometric Constraints on the Redshift of z~10 candidate UDFj-39546284 from deeper WFC3/IR+ACS+IRAC observations over the HUDF
Ultra-deep WFC3/IR observations on the HUDF from the HUDF09 program revealed
just one plausible z~10 candidate UDFj-39546284. UDFj-39546284 had all the
properties expected of a galaxy at z~10 showing (1) no detection in the deep
ACS+WFC3 imaging data blueward of the F160W band, exhibiting (2) a blue
spectral slope redward of the break, and showing (3) no prominent detection in
deep IRAC observations. The new, similarly deep WFC3/IR HUDF12 F160W
observations over the HUDF09/XDF allow us to further assess this candidate.
These observations show that this candidate, previously only detected at ~5.9
sigma in a single band, clearly corresponds to a real source. It is detected at
~5.3 sigma in the new H-band data and at ~7.8 sigma in the full 85-orbit H-band
stack. Interestingly, the non-detection of the source (<1 sigma) in the new
F140W observations suggests a higher redshift. Formally, the best-fit redshift
of the source utilizing all the WFC3+ACS (and IRAC+K-band) observations is
11.8+/-0.3. However, we consider the z~12 interpretation somewhat unlikely,
since the source would either need to be ~20x more luminous than expected or
show very high-EW Ly-alpha emission (which seems improbable given the extensive
neutral gas prevalent early in the reionization epoch). Lower-redshift
solutions fail if only continuum models are allowed. Plausible lower-redshift
solutions require that the H-band flux be dominated by line emission such as
Halpha or [OIII] with extreme EWs. The tentative detection of line emission at
1.6 microns in UDFj-39546284 in a companion paper suggests that such emission
may have already been found.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters,
updated to match the version in pres
- …