Ly{alpha} EMITTING GALAXIES AS EARLY STAGES IN GALAXY FORMATION
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
We present optical spectroscopy of two samples of Galaxy Evolution Explorer grism selected Ly{alpha} emitters (LAEs): one at z = 0.195-0.44 and the other at z = 0.65-1.25. We have also observed a comparison sample of galaxies in the same redshift intervals with the same UV magnitude distributions but with no detected Ly{alpha}. We use the optical spectroscopy to eliminate active galactic nuclei and to obtain the optical emission-line properties of the samples. We compare the luminosities of the LAEs in the two redshift intervals and show that there is dramatic evolution in the maximum Ly{alpha} luminosity over z = 0-1. Focusing on the z = 0.195-0.44 samples alone, we show that there are tightly defined relations between all of the galaxy parameters and the rest-frame equivalent width (EW) of H{alpha}. The higher EW(H{alpha}) sources all have lower metallicities, bluer colors, smaller sizes, and less extinction, consistent with their being in the early stages of the galaxy formation process. We find that 75% {+-} 12% of the LAEs have EW(H{alpha}) >100 A and, conversely, that 31% {+-} 13% of galaxies with EW(H{alpha}) >100 A are LAEs. We correct the broadband magnitudes for the emission-line contributions and use spectral synthesis fits to estimate the ages of the galaxies. We find a median age of 1.1 x 10{sup 8} yr for the LAE sample and 1.4 x 10{sup 9} yr for the UV-continuum sample without detected Ly{alpha}. The median metallicity of the LAE sample is 12 + log (O/H) = 8.24, or about 0.4 dex lower than the UV-continuum sample.
- OSTI ID:
- 21584878
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 738, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/738/2/136; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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