Other
Scientific paper
Jul 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007hst..prop11188s&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #11188. Cycle 16
Other
Scientific paper
The emission from star-forming galaxies appears to be responsible for reionization of the universe at z>6. However, the models that attempt to describe the detailed impact of high-redshift galaxies on the surrounding inter-galactic medium IGM are strongly dependent upon several uncertain parameters. Perhaps the most uncertain is the fraction of HI-ionizing photons produced by young stars which escape into the IGM. Most attempts to measure this "escape fraction" f_esc have produced null results. Recently, a small subset of z~3 Lyman Break Galaxies LBGs has been found exhibiting large escape fractions. It remains unclear however, what differentiates them from other LBGs. Several models attempt to explain how such a large fraction of ionizing continuum can escape through the HI and dust in the ISM eg. "chimneys" created by SNe winds, globular cluster formation, etc., each producing unique signatures which can be observed with resolved imaging of the escaping Lyman continuum. We propose a deep, high resolution WFPC2 image of the ionizing continuum F336W and the rest-frame 1500 Angstrom continuum F606W of five of the six known LBGs with large escape fractions. These LBGs all fit within a single WFPC2 pointing, yielding high observing efficiency. Additionally, they all have z~3.1 or higher, the optimal redshift range for probing the Lyman Continuum region with available WFPC2 filters. These factors make our proposed sample especially suitable for follow-up. With these data we will discern the mechanisms responsible for producing large escape fractions, and therefore gain insight into the process of reionization.;
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