Modelling high redshift Lyman α emitters

We present a new model for high redshift Lyman α emitters (LAEs) in the cosmological context which takes into account the resonant scattering of Lyα photons through expanding gas. The GALICS semi-analytic model provides us with the physical properties of a large sample of high redshift galaxies. We implement, in post-processing, a gas outflow model for each galaxy based on simple scaling arguments. The coupling with a library of numerical experiments of Lyα transfer through expanding (or static) dusty shells of gas allows us to derive the Lyα escape fraction and profile of each galaxy. Results obtained with this new approach are compared with simpler models often used in the literature. The predicted distribution of Lyα photons escape fraction shows that galaxies with a low star formation rate (SFR) have a fesc of the order of unity, suggesting that, for those objects, Lyα may be used to trace the SFR assuming a given conversion law. In galaxies forming stars intensely, the escape fraction spans the whole range from 0 to 1. The model is able to get a good match to the ultraviolet (UV) and Lyα luminosity function data at 3 < z < 5. We find that we are in good agreement with both the bright Lyα data and the faint LAE population observed by Rauch et al. at z= 3 whereas a simpler constant Lyαescape fraction model fails to do so. Most of the Lyα profiles of our LAEs are redshifted by the diffusion in the expanding gas which suppresses intergalactic medium absorption and scattering. The bulk of the observed Lyα equivalent width (EW) distribution is recovered by our model, but we fail to obtain the very large values sometimes detected. Our predictions for stellar masses and UV luminosity functions of LAEs show a satisfactory agreement with observational estimates. The UV-brightest galaxies are found to show only low Lyα EWs in our model, as it is reported by many observations of high redshift LAEs. We interpret this effect as the joint consequence of old stellar populations hosted by UV-bright galaxies, and high H i column densities that we predict for these objects, which quench preferentially resonant Lyα photons via dust extinctio

The UV, Lyman α, and dark matter halo properties of high-redshift galaxies

We explore the properties of high-redshift Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs), and their link with the Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) population, using a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation that takes into account resonant scattering of Lyα photons in gas outflows. We can reasonably reproduce the abundances of LAEs and LBGs from z≈3 to 7, as well as most UV luminosity functions (LFs) of LAEs. The stronger dust attenuation for (resonant) Lyα photons compared to UV continuum photons in bright LBGs provides a natural interpretation to the increase of the LAE fraction in LBG samples, XLAE, towards fainter magnitudes. The redshift evolution of XLAE seems however very sensitive to UV magnitudes limits and equivalent width (EW) cuts. In spite of the apparent good match between the statistical properties predicted by the model and the observations, we find that the tail of the Lyα EW distribution (EW≳100 Å) cannot be explained by our model, and we need to invoke additional mechanisms. We find that LAEs and LBGs span a very similar dynamical range, but bright LAEs are ∼4times rarer than LBGs in massive haloes. Moreover, massive haloes mainly contain weak LAEs in our model, which might introduce a bias towards low-mass haloes in surveys which select sources with high-EW cuts. Overall, our results are consistent with the idea that LAEs and LBGs make a very similar galaxy population. Their apparent differences seem mainly due to EW selections, UV detection limits, and a decreasing Lyα to UV escape fraction ratio in high star formation rate galaxie

Modelling high redshift Lyman-alpha Emitters

We present a new model for high redshift Lyman-Alpha Emitters (LAEs) in the cosmological context which takes into account the resonant scattering of Ly-a photons through expanding gas. The GALICS semi-analytic model provides us with the physical properties of a large sample of high redshift galaxies. We implement a gas outflow model for each galaxy based on simple scaling arguments. The coupling with a library of numerical experiments of Ly-a transfer through expanding or static dusty shells of gas allows us to derive the Ly-a escape fractions and profiles. The predicted distribution of Ly-a photons escape fraction shows that galaxies with a low star formation rate have a f_esc of the order of unity, suggesting that, for those objects, Ly-a may be used to trace the star formation rate assuming a given conversion law. In galaxies forming stars intensely, the escape fraction spans the whole range from 0 to 1. The model is able to get a good match to the UV and Ly-a luminosity function (LF) data at 3 < z < 5. We find that we are in good agreement with both the bright Ly-a data and the faint population observed by Rauch et al. (2008) at z=3. Most of the Ly-a profiles of our LAEs are redshifted by the diffusion in the outflow which suppresses IGM absorption. The bulk of the observed Ly-a equivalent width (EW) distribution is recovered by our model, but we fail to obtain the very large values sometimes detected. Predictions for stellar masses and UV LFs of LAEs show a satisfactory agreement with observational estimates. The UV-brightest galaxies are found to show only low Ly-a EWs in our model, as it is reported by many observations of high redshift LAEs. We interpret this effect as the joint consequence of old stellar populations hosted by UV-bright galaxies, and high HI column densities that we predict for these objects, which quench preferentially resonant Ly-a photons via dust extinction.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA

CRASH2: colored packets and other updates

In this paper we report on the improvements implemented in the cosmological radiative transfer code CRASH. In particular we present a new multi-frequency algorithm for spectra sampling which makes use of colored photon packets: we discuss the need for the multi-frequency approach, describe its implementation and present the improved CRASH performance in reproducing the effects of ionizing radiation with an arbitrary spectrum. We further discuss minor changes in the code implementation which allow for more efficient performance and an increased precision.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The use of fluorescent probes to characterize conformational changes in the interaction between vitronectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the primary inhibitor of tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase, is known to convert readily to a latent form by insertion of the reactive center loop into a central β- sheet. Interaction with vitronectin stabilizes PAI-1 and decreases the rate of conversion to the latent form, but conformational effects of vitronectin on the reactive center loop of PAI-1 have not been documented. Mutant forms of PAI-1 were designed with a cysteine substitution at either position P1\u27 or P9 of the reactive center loop. Labeling of the unique cysteine with a sulfhydryl-reactive fluorophore provides a probe that is sensitive to vitronectin binding. Results indicate that the scissile P1-P1\u27 bond of PAI-1 is more solvent exposed upon interaction with vitronectin, whereas the N- terminal portion of the reactive loop does not experience a significant change in its environment. These results were complemented by labeling vitronectin with an arginine-specific coumarin probe which compromises heparin binding but does not interfere with PAI-1 binding to the protein. Dissociation constants of approximately 100 nM are calculated for the vitronectin/PAI-1 interaction from titrations using both fluorescent probes. Furthermore, experiments in which PAI-1 failed to compete with heparin for binding to vitronectin argue for separate binding sites for the two ligands on vitronectin

An extreme [OIII] emitter at z=3.2z=3.2: a low metallicity Lyman continuum source

[Abridged] We investigate the physical properties of a Lyman continuum emitter candidate at $z=3.212$ with photometric coverage from $U$ to MIPS 24$\mu$m band and VIMOS/VLT and MOSFIRE/Keck spectroscopy. Investigation of the UV spectrum confirms a direct spectroscopic detection of the Lyman continuum emission with $S/N>5$. Non-zero Ly$\alpha$ flux at the systemic redshift and high Lyman-$\alpha$ escape fraction suggest a low HI column density. The weak C and Si low-ionization absorption lines are also consistent with a low covering fraction along the line of sight. The [OIII]$\lambda\lambda4959,5007+\mathrm{H}\beta$ equivalent width is one of the largest reported for a galaxy at $z>3$ ($\mathrm{EW}([\mathrm{OIII}]\lambda\lambda4959,5007+\mathrm{H}\beta) \simeq 1600\AA$, rest-frame) and the NIR spectrum shows that this is mainly due to an extremely strong [OIII] emission. The large observed [OIII]/[OII] ratio ($>10$) and high ionization parameter are consistent with prediction from photoionization models in case of a density-bounded nebula scenario. Furthermore, the $\mathrm{EW}([\mathrm{OIII}]\lambda\lambda4959,5007+\mathrm{H}\beta)$ is comparable to recent measurements reported at $z\sim7-9$, in the reionization epoch. We also investigate the possibility of an AGN contribution to explain the ionizing emission but most of the AGN identification diagnostics suggest that stellar emission dominates instead. This source is currently the first high-$z$ example of a Lyman continuum emitter exhibiting indirect and direct evidences of a Lyman continuum leakage and having physical properties consistent with theoretical expectation from Lyman continuum emission from a density-bounded nebula.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. Minor modifications, Figure 2 updated, Figure 9 adde

The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey X. Lyα\alpha Equivalent Widths at 2.9<z<6.62.9 < z < 6.6

We present rest-frame Ly$\alpha$ equivalent widths (EW) of 417 Ly$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) detected with Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at $2.9 < z < 6.6$ in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Based on the deep MUSE spectroscopy and ancillary Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry data, we carefully measured EW values taking into account extended Ly$\alpha$ emission and UV continuum slopes ($\beta$). Our LAEs reach unprecedented depths, both in Ly$\alpha$ luminosities and UV absolute magnitudes, from log($L_{\rm Ly\alpha}$/erg s$^{-1}$) $\sim$41.0 to 43.0 and from Muv $\sim$ -16 to -21 (0.01-1.0 $L^{*}_{\rm z=3}$). The EW values span the range of $\sim$ 5 to 240 \AA\ or larger, and their distribution can be well fitted by an exponential law $N = N_{\rm 0}$ exp($-$EW/$w_{\rm 0}$). Owing to the high dynamic range in Muv, we find that the scale factor, $w_{\rm 0}$, depends on Muv in the sense that including fainter Muv objects increases $w_{\rm 0}$, i.e., the Ando effect. The results indicate that selection functions affect the EW scale factor. Taking these effects into account, we find that our $w_{\rm 0}$ values are consistent with those in the literature within $1\sigma$ uncertainties at $2.9 < z < 6.6$ at a given threshold of Muv and $L_{\rm Ly\alpha}$. Interestingly, we find 12 objects with EW $>200$ \AA\ above $1\sigma$ uncertainties. Two of these 12 LAEs show signatures of merger or AGN activity: the weak CIV $\lambda 1549$ emission line. For the remaining 10 very large EW LAEs, we find that the EW values can be reproduced by young stellar ages ($< 100$ Myr) and low metallicities ($\lesssim 0.02$ $Z_{\rm \odot}$). Otherwise, at least part of the Ly$\alpha$ emission in these LAEs needs to arise from anisotropic radiative transfer effects, fluorescence by hidden AGN or quasi-stellar object activity, or gravitational cooling.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, 9 tables, accepted for publication in A&A (MUSE UDF Series Paper X

Non-Gravitational Contributions to the Clustering of Ly-alpha Selected Galaxies: Implications for Cosmological Surveys

We show that the dependence of Ly-alpha absorption on environment leads to significant non-gravitational features in the redshift space power-spectrum of Ly-alpha selected galaxies. We derive a physically motivated fitting formula that can be included in clustering analyses, and use this to discuss the predicted features in the Ly-alpha galaxy power-spectrum based on detailed models in which Ly-alpha absorption is influenced by gas infall and/or by strong galactic outflows. We show that power-spectrum measurements could be used to study the astrophysics of the galaxy-IGM connection, and to measure the properties of outflows from star-forming galaxies. Applying the modified redshift space power-spectrum to a Ly-alpha survey with parameters corresponding to the planned Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), we find that the dependence of observed Ly-alpha flux on velocity gradient and ionising background may compromise the ability of Ly-alpha selected galaxy redshift surveys to constrain cosmology using information from the full power-spectrum. This is because the effects of fluctuating ionizing background and velocity gradients effect the shape of the observed power-spectrum in ways that are similar to the shape of the primordial power-spectrum and redshift space distortions respectively. We use the Alcock-Paczynski test to show that without prior knowledge of the details of Ly-alpha absorption in the IGM, the precision of line-of-sight and transverse distance measurements for HETDEX will be ~1.3-1.7%, decreased by a factor of ~1.5-2 relative to the best case precision of ~0.8% available in a traditional galaxy redshift survey. We specify the precision with which modelling of Ly-alpha radiative transfer must be understood in order for HETDEX to achieve distance measurements that are better than 1%.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to MNRA

Galaxy Counterparts of metal-rich Damped Lyman-alpha Absorbers - I: The case of the z=2.35 DLA towards Q2222-0946

We have initiated a survey using the newly commissioned X-shooter spectrograph to target candidate relatively metal-rich damped Lyman-alpha absorbers (DLAs). The spectral coverage of X-shooter allows us to search for not only Lyman-alpha emission, but also rest-frame optical emission lines. We have chosen DLAs where the strongest rest-frame optical lines ([OII], [OIII], Hbeta and Halpha) fall in the NIR atmospheric transmission bands. In this first paper resulting from the survey, we report on the discovery of the galaxy counterpart of the z_abs = 2.354 DLA towards the z=2.926 quasar Q2222$-0946. This DLA is amongst the most metal-rich z>2 DLAs studied so far at comparable redshifts and there is evidence for substantial depletion of refractory elements onto dust grains. We measure metallicities from ZnII, SiII, NiII, MnII and FeII of -0.46+/-0.07, -0.51+/-0.06, -0.85+/-0.06, -1.23+/-0.06, and -0.99+/-0.06, respectively. The galaxy is detected in the Lyman-alpha, [OIII] lambda4959,5007 Halpha emission lines at an impact parameter of about 0.8 arcsec (6 kpc at z_abs = 2.354). We infer a star-formation rate of 10 M_sun yr^-1, which is a lower limit due to the possibility of slit-loss. Compared to the recently determined Halpha luminosity function for z=2.2 galaxies the DLA-galaxy counterpart has a luminosity of L~0.1L^*_Halpha. The emission-line ratios are 4.0 (Lyalpha/Halpha) and 1.2 ([OIII]/Halpha). The Lyalpha line shows clear evidence for resonant scattering effects, namely an asymmetric, redshifted (relative to the systemic redshift) component and a much weaker blueshifted component. The fact that the blueshifted component is relatively weak indicates the presence of a galactic wind. The properties of the galaxy counterpart of this DLA is consistent with the prediction that metal-rich DLAs are associated with the most luminous of the DLA-galaxy counterparts.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA