Resolved star formation on sub-galactic scales in a merger at z = 1.7
- Astrophysics Science Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, The University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
- Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstr., D-85748 Garching (Germany)
We present a detailed analysis of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) G141 grism spectroscopy for seven star-forming regions of the highly magnified lensed starburst galaxy RCSGA 032727-132609 at z = 1.704. We measure the spatial variations of the extinction in RCS0327 through the observed Hγ/Hβ emission line ratios, finding a constant average extinction of E(B – V){sub gas} = 0.40 ± 0.07. We infer that the star formation is enhanced as a result of an ongoing interaction, with measured star formation rates derived from demagnified, extinction-corrected Hβ line fluxes for the individual star-forming clumps falling >1-2 dex above the star formation sequence. When combining the HST/WFC3 [O III] λ5007/Hβ emission line ratio measurements with [N II]/Hα line ratios from Wuyts et al., we find that the majority of the individual star-forming regions fall along the local 'normal' abundance sequence. With the first detections of the He I λ5876 and He II λ4686 recombination lines in a distant galaxy, we probe the massive-star content of the star-forming regions in RCS0327. The majority of the star-forming regions have a He I λ5876 to Hβ ratio consistent with the saturated maximum value, which is only possible if they still contain hot O-stars. Two regions have lower ratios, implying that their last burst of new star formation ended ∼5 Myr ago. Together, the He I λ5876 and He II λ4686 to Hβ line ratios provide indirect evidence for the order in which star formation is stopping in individual star-forming knots of this high-redshift merger. We place the spatial variations of the extinction, star formation rate and ionization conditions in the context of the star formation history of RCS0327.
- OSTI ID:
- 22365460
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 790, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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