C III] EMISSION IN STAR-FORMING GALAXIES NEAR AND FAR

Journal Article · Fri Nov 20 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/814/1/L6· OSTI ID:22518683

Rigby, J. R. ^[1]; Bayliss, M. B. ^[2]; Gladders, M. D. ^[3]; Sharon, K.; Johnson, T. ^[4]; Wuyts, E. ^[5]; Dahle, H. ^[6]; Peña-Guerrero, M. ^[7]

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1. Astrophysics Science Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
2. Department of Physics, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
3. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, 5640 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)
4. Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
5. Max Plank Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany)
6. Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1029, Blindern, NO-0315 Oslo (Norway)
7. Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

We measure [C iii] 1907, C iii] 1909 Å emission lines in 11 gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 1.6–3, finding much lower equivalent widths than previously reported for fainter lensed galaxies. While it is not yet clear what causes some galaxies to be strong C iii] emitters, C iii] emission is not a universal property of distant star-forming galaxies. We also examine C iii] emission in 46 star-forming galaxies in the local universe, using archival spectra from GHRS, FOS, and STIS on HST and IUE. Twenty percent of these local galaxies show strong C iii] emission, with equivalent widths < −5 Å. Three nearby galaxies show C iii] emission equivalent widths as large as the most extreme emitters yet observed in the distant universe; all three are Wolf–Rayet galaxies. At all redshifts, strong C iii] emission may pick out low-metallicity galaxies experiencing intense bursts of star formation. Such local C iii] emitters may shed light on the conditions of star formation in certain extreme high-redshift galaxies.

• OSTI ID: 22518683
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 814, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
CARBON
GRAVITATIONAL LENSES
METALLICITY
MILKY WAY
RED SHIFT
STAR EVOLUTION
UNIVERSE
VISIBLE RADIATION
WOLF-RAYET STARS