STELLAR POPULATIONS OF LYMAN BREAK GALAXIES AT z {approx_equal} 1-3 IN THE HST/WFC3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE OBSERVATIONS
- Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404 (United States)
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 (United States)
- NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1580 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States)
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom)
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Weston Creek, ACT 2611 (Australia)
- Astronomy Department, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
We analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z {approx_equal} 1-3 selected using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) UVIS channel filters. These HST/WFC3 observations cover about 50 arcmin{sup 2} in the GOODS-South field as a part of the WFC3 Early Release Science program. These LBGs at z {approx_equal} 1-3 are selected using dropout selection criteria similar to high-redshift LBGs. The deep multi-band photometry in this field is used to identify best-fit SED models, from which we infer the following results: (1) the photometric redshift estimate of these dropout-selected LBGs is accurate to within few percent; (2) the UV spectral slope {beta} is redder than at high redshift (z > 3), where LBGs are less dusty; (3) on average, LBGs at z {approx_equal} 1-3 are massive, dustier, and more highly star forming, compared to LBGs at higher redshifts with similar luminosities (0.1L* {approx}< L {approx}< 2.5L*), though their median values are similar within 1{sigma} uncertainties. This could imply that identical dropout selection technique, at all redshifts, finds physically similar galaxies; and (4) the stellar masses of these LBGs are directly proportional to their UV luminosities with a logarithmic slope of {approx}0.46, and star formation rates are proportional to their stellar masses with a logarithmic slope of {approx}0.90. These relations hold true-within luminosities probed in this study-for LBGs from z {approx_equal} 1.5 to 5. The star-forming galaxies selected using other color-based techniques show similar correlations at z {approx_equal} 2, but to avoid any selection biases, and for direct comparison with LBGs at z > 3, a true Lyman break selection at z {approx_equal} 2 is essential. The future HST UV surveys, both wider and deeper, covering a large luminosity range are important to better understand LBG properties and their evolution.
- OSTI ID:
- 22127019
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 765, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
THE EVOLUTION OF THE ULTRAVIOLET LUMINOSITY FUNCTION FROM z {approx} 0.75 TO z {approx} 2.5 USING HST ERS WFC3/UVIS OBSERVATIONS
KECK SPECTROSCOPY OF FAINT 3 < z < 7 LYMAN BREAK GALAXIES. III. THE MEAN ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRUM AT z {approx_equal} 4