Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-07-30
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
accepted by ApJ Letters (originally submitted June 11, 2004)
Scientific paper
10.1086/424801
We present results from a deep spectroscopic search in the 9150A atmospheric window for z~6.5 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies using the VLT/FORS2. Our multi-slit+narrow-band filter survey covers a total spatial area of 17.6 sq. arcmin in four different fields and reaches fluxes down to 5x10^(-18) erg/s/cm^2 (7 sigma detection). Our detection limit is significantly fainter than narrow-band searches at this redshift and fainter also than the unlensed brightness of Hu et al.'s HCM6A at z=6.56, and thus provides better overlap with surveys at much lower redshifts. Eighty secure emission line galaxies are detected. However, based on their clear continuum emission shortward of the line or the presence of multiple lines, none of these can be Ly-alpha emission at z~6.5. Our null result of finding no z~6.5 Ly-alpha emitters suggests that the number density of Ly-alpha emitters with L>2x10^(42) erg/s declines by ~2 between z~3 and z~6.5.
Brodwin Mark
Crampton David
Lilly Simon J.
Tran Kim-Vy H.
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