GAS KINEMATICS IN Ly{alpha} NEBULAE
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, Heidelberg (Germany)
- Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
Exploring the origin of Ly{alpha} nebulae ('blobs') at high redshift requires measurements of their gas kinematics that are impossible with only the resonant, optically thick Ly{alpha} line. To define gas motions relative to the systemic velocity of the blob, the Ly{alpha} line must be compared with an optically thin line like H{alpha} {lambda}6563, which is not much altered by radiative transfer effects and is more concentrated about the galaxies embedded in the nebula's core. We obtain optical and near-IR (NIR) spectra of the two brightest Ly{alpha} blobs (CDFS-LAB01 and CDFS-LAB02) from the Yang et al. sample using the Magellan/Magellan Echellette Spectrograph optical and Very Large Telescope/SINFONI NIR spectrographs. Both the Ly{alpha} and H{alpha} lines confirm that these blobs lie at the survey redshift, z {approx} 2.3. Within each blob, we detect several H{alpha} sources, which roughly correspond to galaxies seen in Hubble Space Telescope rest-frame UV images. The H{alpha} detections show that these galaxies have large internal velocity dispersions ({sigma}{sub v} = 130-190 km s{sup -1}) and that, in the one system (LAB01), where we can reliably extract profiles for two H{alpha} sources, their velocity difference is {Delta}v {approx} 440 km s{sup -1}. The presence of multiple galaxies within the blobs, and those galaxies' large velocity dispersions and large relative motion, is consistent with our previous finding that Ly{alpha} blobs inhabit massive dark matter halos that will evolve into those typical of present-day rich clusters and that the embedded galaxies may eventually become brightest cluster galaxies. To determine whether the gas near the embedded galaxies is predominantly infalling or outflowing, we compare the Ly{alpha} and H{alpha} line centers, finding that Ly{alpha} is not offset ({Delta}v{sub Ly{alpha}} = +0 km s{sup -1}) in LAB01 and redshifted by only +230 km s{sup -1} in LAB02. These offsets are small compared to those of Lyman break galaxies, which average +450 km s{sup -1} and extend to about +700 km s{sup -1}. In LAB02, we detect C II {lambda}1334 and Si II {lambda}1526 absorption lines, whose blueward shifts of {approx}200 km s{sup -1} are consistent with the small outflow implied by the redward shift of Ly{alpha}. We test and rule out the simplest infall models and those outflow models with super/hyperwinds, which require large outflow velocities. Because of the unknown geometry of the gas distribution and the possibility of multiple sources of Ly{alpha} emission embedded in the blobs, a larger sample and more sophisticated models are required to test more complex or a wider range of infall and outflow scenarios.
- OSTI ID:
- 21578401
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 735, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/735/2/87; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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