Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2001-08-15
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "Chemical Enrichment of Intracluster and Intergalactic Medium", Vulcano, Italy, 14-18 May 200
Scientific paper
We are undertaking a program to measure emission line ratios in a selected sample of $0.5 < z < 1.0$ CFRS starforming galaxies in order to compute their Interstellar Medium metallicities. The latter are derived by means of the empirically-calibrated $R_{23}$ estimator introduced by Pagel et al. (1979). Here we focus on a subsample of 15 galaxies with $L_{H\beta} > 1.2 \times 10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$. In addition to the optical CFHT spectra discussed in Carollo & Lilly (2001), where a preliminary account of this work can be found, in this paper we also refer to new $J$-band Keck spectroscopy of the $H\alpha$ and [NII]6583 lines for several objects. These lines allow us to break the degeneracy between low ($\lta 0.1Z_\odot$) and high ($\gta 0.5Z_\odot$) metallicity of the $R_{23}$ estimator, and put on solid ground the finding that the $0.5 < z < 1.0$ blue galaxies in the high-$L_{H\beta}$ sample are significantly metal-enriched ($Z \gta 0.3Z_\odot$ up to $Z_\odot$). Therefore, our results do not support previous suggestions in which the $0.5 < z < 1.0$ starforming galaxies are dwarf galaxies brightened by large bursts of star-formation, but support instead a picture where at least a significant fraction of them evolves to become today's massive metal-rich systems.
Carollo Marcella C.
Lilly Simon J.
Stockton Alan
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