Computer Science
Scientific paper
Mar 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008sptz.prop50647c&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #50647
Computer Science
Scientific paper
Optical/near-infrared photometric redshifts of 13 red galaxies in GOODS favor z>5 redshift solutions which indicate that they are extremely massive galaxies with stellar masses exceeding 1E11 Msun. If true, these galaxies contribute the bulk of the stellar mass density at z~6 and the past star-formation in these galaxies is responsible for reionizing the intergalactic medium at z>>6. The majority of these galaxies have however found to be faint 24 micron sources which would instead suggest that they are luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) with L(IR)~3E11 Lsun at z~2. We propose ultradeep Spitzer/IRS LL spectroscopy which will measure the redshifts of two representative, optically invisible (i>27 mag) sources in this class and distinguish between these two widely disparate hypotheses. The detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the spectra of these sources would imply that photometric redshifts of dusty infrared luminous galaxies are unreliable - a fundamental obstacle in estimating the comoving luminosity density of the Universe as a function of redshift. It would allow the shape of the dust extinction curve to be constrained and rule out the Balmer-'break' color selection as a reliable tracer of redshift. By virtue of being the deepest IRS/LL observations, it would yield the first measures of PAH line strengths in high redshift LIRGs. This will help refine the mid-infrared PAH templates that are used to estimate bolometric luminosities of galaxies detected in various mid-infrared surveys, including those which will be undertaken by WISE. The absence of PAH in the proposed spectra would imply the presence of Compton-thick AGN and/or confirm that we have identified the galaxies responsible for reionization without the need for changing the stellar initial mass function at high redshift. Spitzer offers the only opportunity to resolve this important conundrum until the James Webb Space Telescope.
Chary Ranga Ram
Dickinson Mark
Lawrence Charles
Teplitz Harry
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