HerMES: Candidate high-redshift galaxies discovered with Herschel/Spire

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/780/1/75· OSTI ID:22348290

Dowell, C. Darren; Bock, J.; Bridge, C.; Cooray, A. ^[1]; Conley, A.; Glenn, J. ^[2]; Arumugam, V. ^[3]; Asboth, V. ^[4]; Aussel, H.; Béthermin, M. ^[5]; Bertoldi, F. ^[6]; Boselli, A.; Buat, V.; Burgarella, D. ^[7]; Cabrera-Lavers, A. ^[8]; Casey, C. M. ^[9]; Chapman, S. C. ^[10]; Clements, D. L. ^[11]; Conversi, L. ^[12]; others, and

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1. California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
2. Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy 389-UCB, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)
3. Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom)
4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 (Canada)
5. Laboratoire AIM-Paris-Saclay, CEA/DSM/Irfu-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, CE-Saclay, pt courrier 131, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
6. Argelander Institute für Astronomy, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)
7. Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), UMR7326, F-13388 Marseille (France)
8. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain)
9. Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
10. Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5 (Canada)
11. Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)
12. Herschel Science Centre, European Space Astronomy Centre, Villanueva de la Cañada, E-28691 Madrid (Spain)

We present a method for selecting z > 4 dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) using Herschel/Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver 250/350/500 μm flux densities to search for red sources. We apply this method to 21 deg{sup 2} of data from the HerMES survey to produce a catalog of 38 high-z candidates. Follow-up of the first five of these sources confirms that this method is efficient at selecting high-z DSFGs, with 4/5 at z = 4.3-6.3 (and the remaining source at z = 3.4), and that they are some of the most luminous dusty sources known. Comparison with previous DSFG samples, mostly selected at longer wavelengths (e.g., 850 μm) and in single-band surveys, shows that our method is much more efficient at selecting high-z DSFGs, in the sense that a much larger fraction are at z > 3. Correcting for the selection completeness and purity, we find that the number of bright (S {sub 500} {sub μm} ≥ 30 mJy), red Herschel sources is 3.3 ± 0.8 deg{sup –2}. This is much higher than the number predicted by current models, suggesting that the DSFG population extends to higher redshifts than previously believed. If the shape of the luminosity function for high-z DSFGs is similar to that at z ∼ 2, rest-frame UV based studies may be missing a significant component of the star formation density at z = 4-6, even after correction for extinction.

• OSTI ID: 22348290
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 780, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
CATALOGS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CORRECTIONS
FLUX DENSITY
GALAXIES
IMPURITIES
LUMINOSITY
PHOTOMETRY
RED SHIFT
STARS
WAVELENGTHS