Confirming and Characterizing Young Lyman-(alpha) Galaxies at z=4.5

Details Confirming and Characterizing Young Lyman-(alpha) Galaxies at z=4.5 Confirming and Characterizing Young Lyman-(alpha) Galaxies at z=4.5

Feb 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001noao.prop..306r&link_type=abstract

NOAO Proposal ID #2001A-0306

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Scientific paper

Our knowledge of galaxies at z ⪆ 3 depends heavily on their rest- frame UV properties. This is especially true for Lyα emitting galaxies, which will preferentially include the youngest and most chemically primitive objects. Redshifts of these sources are based on a single line, which is identified as Lyα with circumstantial evidence (line asymmetry and a continuum break) (Stern & Spinrad 1999). Their other properties are inferred from 1500Acontinuum emission, which is insensitive to older stellar populations. We will remedy this situation with near-infrared (K band) spectroscopy and imaging of confirmed z~ 4.5 galaxies from our Large Area Lyman Alpha (LALA) survey. Our NIRI observations will allow us to confirm and characterize these early galaxies in four important ways: (1) The Lyα redshift will be confirmed by detection of the O II line. (2) The O II line will yield star formation rate (SFR) estimates. Comparing these to Lyα and UV continuum SFR measurements will cross-calibrate SFR indicators normally used at different redshifts, and will test for dust absorption in our Lyα sources. (3) K band photometry can be compared to existing R, I, and z' data to look for light from ``old'' (> 10^8 years) stellar populations. Our NIRI spectra will also observe the 4000Abreak, providing another test for old stars and lifting the degeneracy between dust and age in broadband colors. Old stars, if present, would have to have formed at z ⪆ 6. (4) Rest optical light morphologies can be compared to the expectations from monolithic collapse and hierarchical formation scenarios, and can also directly compare newly-formed galaxies with their present day counterparts.

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