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Register a new userThe Relationship Between Stellar Populations and Lyman Alpha Emission in Lyman Break Galaxies
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We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic survey of 321 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ~ 3 to investigate systematically the relationship between Lya emission and stellar populations. Lya equivalent widths (EW) were calculated from rest-frame UV spectroscopy and optical/near-infrared/Spitzer photometry was used in population synthesis modeling to derive the key properties of age, dust extinction, star formation rate (SFR), and stellar mass. We directly compare the stellar populations of LBGs with and without strong Lya emission, where we designate the former group (EW > 20 AA) as Lya emitters (LAEs) and the latter group (EW < 20 AA) as non-LAEs. This controlled method of comparing objects from the same UV luminosity distribution represents an improvement over previous studies in which the stellar populations of LBGs and narrowband-selected LAEs were contrasted, where the latter were often intrinsically fainter in broadband filters by an order of magnitude simply due to different selection criteria. Using a variety of statistical tests, we find that Lya equivalent width and age, SFR, and dust extinction, respectively, are significantly correlated in the sense that objects with strong Lya emission also tend to be older, lower in star formation rate, and less dusty than objects with weak Lya emission, or the line in absorption. We accordingly conclude that, within the LBG sample, objects with strong Lya emission represent a later stage of galaxy evolution in which supernovae-induced outflows have reduced the dust covering fraction. We also examined the hypothesis that the attenuation of Lya photons is lower than that of the continuum, as proposed by some, but found no evidence to support this picture.
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We use hydrodynamic simulations to predict correlations between Lya forest absorption and galaxies at redshift z~3. The probability distribution function (PDF) of Lya flux decrements shifts systematically towards higher values in the vicinity of galaxies, reflecting the overdense environments in which these galaxies reside. The predicted signal remains strong in spectra smoothed over 50-200 km/s, allowing tests with moderate resolution quasar spectra. The strong bias of high redshift galaxies towards high density regions imprints a clear signature on the flux PDF, but the predictions are not sensitive to galaxy baryon mass or star formation rate, and they are similar for galaxies and for dark matter halos. The dependence of the flux PDF on galaxy proximity is sensitive to redshift determination errors, with rms errors of 150-300 km/s substantially weakening the predicted trends. On larger scales, the mean galaxy overdensity in a cube of 5 or 10 Mpc/h (comoving) is strongly correlated with the mean Lya flux decrement on a line of sight through the cube center. The slope of the correlation is ~3 times steeper for galaxies than for dark matter as a result of galaxy bias. The predicted large scale correlation is in qualitative agreement with recently reported observational results. However, observations also show a drop in absorption in the immediate vicinity of galaxies, which our models do not predict even if we allow the galaxies or AGNs within them to be ionizing sources. This decreased absorption could be a signature of galaxy feedback on the surrounding IGM, perhaps via galactic winds. Peculiar velocities often allow gas at comoving distances ~1.5 Mpc/h to produce saturated absorption at the galaxy redshift, so any feedback mechanism must suppress neutral hydrogen out to these radii to match the data. (Abridged)
We present new information on galaxies in the vicinity of luminous radio galaxies and quasars at z=4,5,6. These fields were previously found to contain overdensities of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) or spectroscopic Lyman alpha emitters. We use HST and Spitzer data to infer stellar masses, and contrast our results with large samples of LBGs in more average environments as probed by the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). The following results were obtained. First, LBGs in both overdense regions and in the field at z=4-5 lie on a very similar sequence in a z-[3.6] versus [3.6] color-magnitude diagram. This is interpreted as a sequence in stellar mass (log[M*/Msun] = 9-11) in which galaxies become increasingly red due to dust and age as their star formation rate (SFR) increases. Second, the two radio galaxies are among the most massive objects (log[M*/Msun]~11) known to exist at z~4-5, and are extremely rare based on the low number density of such objects as estimated from the ~25x larger area GOODS survey. We suggest that the presence of these massive galaxies and supermassive black holes has been boosted through rapid accretion of gas or merging inside overdense regions. Third, the total stellar mass found in the z=4 ``proto-cluster TN1338 accounts for <30% of the stellar mass on the cluster red sequence expected to have formed at z>4, based on a comparison with the massive X-ray cluster Cl1252 at z=1.2. Although future near-infrared observations should determine whether any massive galaxies are currently being missed, one possible explanation for this mass difference is that TN1338 evolves into a smaller cluster than Cl1252. This raises the interesting question of whether the most massive protocluster regions at z>4 remain yet to be discovered.
We present the results of Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting analysis for Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) at $zsim5$ in the GOODS-N and its flanking fields. From the SED fitting for $sim100$ objects, we found that the stellar masses range from $10^{8}$ to $10^{11}M_{odot}$ with a median value of $4times10^{9}M_{odot}$. By using the large sample of galaxies at $zsim5$, we construct the stellar mass function (SMF) with incompleteness corrections. By integrating down to $10^{8}M_{odot}$, the cosmic stellar mass density at $zsim5$ is calculated to be $7times10^{6}M_{odot}textrm{Mpc}^{-3}$.
We present a sample of 33 spectroscopically confirmed z ~ 3.1 Ly$alpha$-emitting galaxies (LAEs) in the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field. This paper details the narrow-band survey we conducted to detect the LAE sample, the optical spectroscopy we performed to confirm the nature of these LAEs, and a new near-infrared spectroscopic detection of the [O III] 5007 AA line in one of these LAEs. This detection is in addition to two [O III] detections in two z ~ 3.1 LAEs we have reported on previously (McLinden et al 2011). The bulk of the paper then presents detailed constraints on the physical characteristics of the entire LAE sample from spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. These characteristics include mass, age, star-formation history, dust content, and metallicity. We also detail an approach to account for nebular emission lines in the SED fitting process - wherein our models predict the strength of the [O III] line in an LAE spectrum. We are able to study the success of this prediction because we can compare the model predictions to our actual near-infrared observations both in galaxies that have [O III] detections and those that yielded non-detections. We find a median stellar mass of 6.9 $times$ 10$^8$ M$_{odot}$ and a median star formation rate weighted stellar population age of 4.5 $times$ 10$^6$ yr. In addition to SED fitting, we quantify the velocity offset between the [O III] and Ly$alpha$ lines in the galaxy with the new [O III] detection, finding that the Ly$alpha$ line is shifted 52 km s$^{-1}$ redwards of the [O III] line, which defines the systemic velocity of the galaxy.
We present the results of Spectral Energy Distribution(SED) fitting analysis for Lyman Break Galaxies(LBGs) at z~5 in the GOODS-N and its flanking fields (the GOODS-FF). With the publicly available IRAC images in the GOODS-N and IRAC data in the GOODS-FF, we constructed the rest-frame UV to optical SEDs for a large sample (~100) of UV-selected galaxies at z~5. Comparing the observed SEDs with model SEDs generated with a population synthesis code, we derived a best-fit set of parameters (stellar mass, age, color excess, and star formation rate) for each of sample LBGs. The derived stellar masses range from 10^8 to 10^11M_sun with a median value of 4.1x10^9M_sun. The comparison with z=2-3 LBGs shows that the stellar masses of z~5 LBGs are systematically smaller by a factor of 3-4 than those of z=2-3 LBGs in a similar rest-frame UV luminosity range. The star formation ages are relatively younger than those of the z=2-3 LBGs. We also compared the results for our sample with other studies for the z=5-6 galaxies. Although there seem to be similarities and differences in the properties, we could not conclude its significance. We also derived a stellar mass function of our sample by correcting for incompletenesses. Although the number densities in the massive end are comparable to the theoretical predictions from semi-analytic models, the number densities in the low-mass part are smaller than the model predictions. By integrating the stellar mass function down to 10^8 M_sun, the stellar mass density at z~5 is calculated to be (0.7-2.4)x10^7M_sun Mpc^-3. The stellar mass density at z~5 is dominated by massive part of the stellar mass function. Compared with other observational studies and the model predictions, the mass density of our sample is consistent with general trend of the increase of the stellar mass density with time.
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