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Title: THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE: EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT

Abstract

We report on new imaging observations of the Lyman alpha emission line (Ly{alpha}), performed with the Hubble Space Telescope, that comprise the backbone of the Lyman alpha Reference Sample. We present images of 14 starburst galaxies at redshifts 0.028 < z < 0.18 in continuum-subtracted Ly{alpha}, H{alpha}, and the far ultraviolet continuum. We show that Ly{alpha} is emitted on scales that systematically exceed those of the massive stellar population and recombination nebulae: as measured by the Petrosian 20% radius, R{sub P20}, Ly{alpha} radii are larger than those of H{alpha} by factors ranging from 1 to 3.6, with an average of 2.4. The average ratio of Ly{alpha}-to-FUV radii is 2.9. This suggests that much of the Ly{alpha} light is pushed to large radii by resonance scattering. Defining the Relative Petrosian Extension of Ly{alpha} compared to H{alpha}, {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} = R {sup Ly{alpha}}{sub P20}/R {sup H{alpha}}{sub P20}, we find {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} to be uncorrelated with total Ly{alpha} luminosity. However, {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} is strongly correlated with quantities that scale with dust content, in the sense that a low dust abundance is a necessary requirement (although not the only one) in order to spread Ly{alpha} photons throughout the interstellar medium and drive a largemore » extended Ly{alpha} halo.« less

Authors:
 [1]; ; ; ; ;  [2];  [3]; ;  [4]; ;  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11]
  1. Universite de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse (France)
  2. Department of Astronomy, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Centre, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)
  3. CNRS, IRAP, 14, avenue Edouard Belin, F-31400 Toulouse (France)
  4. Geneva Observatory, University of Geneva, 51 Chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Versoix (Switzerland)
  5. Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA), Departamento de Astrofisica, POB 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada (Spain)
  6. Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
  7. Laboratoire d'Astrophysique, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire, CH-1290 Sauverny (Switzerland)
  8. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105 (United States)
  9. Leibniz-Institut fuer Astrophysik (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam (Germany)
  10. Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095 CNRS and UPMC, 98 bis Bd Arago, F-75014 Paris (France)
  11. Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22130836
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 765; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ASTROPHYSICS; COSMOLOGY; DUSTS; FAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION; GALAXIES; IMAGES; LUMINOSITY; LYMAN LINES; NEBULAE; PHOTONS; RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER; RECOMBINATION; RED SHIFT; RESCATTERING; RESONANCE SCATTERING; SPACE; TELESCOPES

Citation Formats

Hayes, Matthew, Oestlin, Goeran, Duval, Florent, Guaita, Lucia, Melinder, Jens, Sandberg, Andreas, Schaerer, Daniel, Verhamme, Anne, Orlitova, Ivana, Mas-Hesse, J. Miguel, Oti-Floranes, Hector, Adamo, Angela, Atek, Hakim, Cannon, John M., Herenz, E. Christian, Kunth, Daniel, and Laursen, Peter. THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE: EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/765/2/L27.
Hayes, Matthew, Oestlin, Goeran, Duval, Florent, Guaita, Lucia, Melinder, Jens, Sandberg, Andreas, Schaerer, Daniel, Verhamme, Anne, Orlitova, Ivana, Mas-Hesse, J. Miguel, Oti-Floranes, Hector, Adamo, Angela, Atek, Hakim, Cannon, John M., Herenz, E. Christian, Kunth, Daniel, & Laursen, Peter. THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE: EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/765/2/L27
Hayes, Matthew, Oestlin, Goeran, Duval, Florent, Guaita, Lucia, Melinder, Jens, Sandberg, Andreas, Schaerer, Daniel, Verhamme, Anne, Orlitova, Ivana, Mas-Hesse, J. Miguel, Oti-Floranes, Hector, Adamo, Angela, Atek, Hakim, Cannon, John M., Herenz, E. Christian, Kunth, Daniel, and Laursen, Peter. 2013. "THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE: EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/765/2/L27.
@article{osti_22130836,
title = {THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE: EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT},
author = {Hayes, Matthew and Oestlin, Goeran and Duval, Florent and Guaita, Lucia and Melinder, Jens and Sandberg, Andreas and Schaerer, Daniel and Verhamme, Anne and Orlitova, Ivana and Mas-Hesse, J. Miguel and Oti-Floranes, Hector and Adamo, Angela and Atek, Hakim and Cannon, John M. and Herenz, E. Christian and Kunth, Daniel and Laursen, Peter},
abstractNote = {We report on new imaging observations of the Lyman alpha emission line (Ly{alpha}), performed with the Hubble Space Telescope, that comprise the backbone of the Lyman alpha Reference Sample. We present images of 14 starburst galaxies at redshifts 0.028 < z < 0.18 in continuum-subtracted Ly{alpha}, H{alpha}, and the far ultraviolet continuum. We show that Ly{alpha} is emitted on scales that systematically exceed those of the massive stellar population and recombination nebulae: as measured by the Petrosian 20% radius, R{sub P20}, Ly{alpha} radii are larger than those of H{alpha} by factors ranging from 1 to 3.6, with an average of 2.4. The average ratio of Ly{alpha}-to-FUV radii is 2.9. This suggests that much of the Ly{alpha} light is pushed to large radii by resonance scattering. Defining the Relative Petrosian Extension of Ly{alpha} compared to H{alpha}, {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} = R {sup Ly{alpha}}{sub P20}/R {sup H{alpha}}{sub P20}, we find {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} to be uncorrelated with total Ly{alpha} luminosity. However, {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} is strongly correlated with quantities that scale with dust content, in the sense that a low dust abundance is a necessary requirement (although not the only one) in order to spread Ly{alpha} photons throughout the interstellar medium and drive a large extended Ly{alpha} halo.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/765/2/L27},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22130836}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 2,
volume = 765,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Mar 10 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Sun Mar 10 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}