We investigate the evolution of the H β + O iii and O ii luminosity functions from z ∼ 0.8 to ∼5 in four redshift slices per emission line using data from the High-z Emission Line Survey (HiZELS). ...This is the first time that the H β + O iii and O ii luminosity functions have been studied at these redshifts in a self-consistent analysis. This is also the largest sample of O ii and H β + O iii emitters (3475 and 3298 emitters, respectively) in this redshift range, with large comoving volumes ∼1 × 106 Mpc−3 in two independent volumes (COSMOS and UDS), greatly reducing the effects of cosmic variance. The emitters were selected by a combination of photometric redshift and colour–colour selections, as well as spectroscopic follow-up, including recent spectroscopic observations using DEIMOS and MOSFIRE on the Keck Telescopes and FMOS on Subaru. We find a strong increase in L
⋆ and a decrease in ϕ⋆ for both H β + O iii and O ii emitters. We derive the O ii star formation history of the Universe since z ∼ 5 and find that the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) rises from z ∼ 5 to ∼3 and then drops towards z ∼ 0. We also find that our star formation history is able to reproduce the evolution of the stellar mass density up to z ∼ 5 based only on a single tracer of star formation. When comparing the H β + O iii SFRDs to the O ii and H α SFRD measurements in the literature, we find that there is a remarkable agreement, suggesting that the H β + O iii sample is dominated by star-forming galaxies at high-z rather than AGNs.
Abstract
We present and explore deep narrow- and medium-band data obtained with the Subaru and the Isaac Newton Telescopes in the ∼2 deg2 COSMOS field. We use these data as an extremely wide, ...low-resolution (R ∼ 20–80) Integral Field Unit survey to slice through the COSMOS field and obtain a large sample of ∼4000 Ly α emitters (LAEs) from z ∼ 2 to 6 in 16 redshift slices (SC4K). We present new Ly α luminosity functions (LFs) covering a comoving volume of ∼108 Mpc3. SC4K extensively complements ultradeep surveys, jointly covering over 4 dex in Ly α luminosity and revealing a global (2.5 < z < 6) synergy LF with $\alpha =-1.93^{+0.12}_{-0.12}$, $\rm \log _{10}\Phi ^*_{\rm Ly\alpha }={-3.45^{+0.22}_{-0.29}}$ Mpc−3, and $\log _{10}L^*_{\rm Ly\alpha }={42.93^{+0.15}_{-0.11}}$ erg s−1. The Schechter component of the Ly α LF reveals a factor ∼5 rise in $L^*_{\rm \text{Ly}\alpha }$ and a ∼7 × decline in $\Phi ^*_{\rm Ly\alpha }$ from z ∼ 2 to 6. The data reveal an extra power-law (or Schechter) component above LLy α ≈ 1043.3 erg s−1 at z ∼ 2.2–3.5 and we show that it is partially driven by X-ray and radio active galactic nucleus (AGN), as their Ly α LF resembles the excess. The power-law component vanishes and/or is below our detection limits above z > 3.5, likely linked with the evolution of the AGN population. The Ly α luminosity density rises by a factor ∼2 from z ∼ 2 to 3 but is then found to be roughly constant ($1.1^{+0.2}_{-0.2}\times 10^{40}$ erg s−1 Mpc−3) to z ∼ 6, despite the ∼0.7 dex drop in ultraviolet (UV) luminosity density. The Ly α/UV luminosity density ratio rises from 4 ± 1 per cent to 30 ± 6 per cent from z ∼ 2.2 to 6. Our results imply a rise of a factor of ≈2 in the global ionization efficiency (ξion) and a factor ≈4 ± 1 in the Ly α escape fraction from z ∼ 2 to 6, hinting for evolution in both the typical burstiness/stellar populations and even more so in the typical interstellar medium conditions allowing Ly α photons to escape.
ABSTRACT
We use a sample of 78 340 star-forming galaxies at z ≃ 0.04–0.1 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data release (DR8) survey to calculate the average nebular dust attenuation curve and ...its variation with the physical properties of galaxies. Using the first four low-order Balmer emission lines (H α, H β, H γ, and H δ) detected in the composite spectrum of all galaxies in the sample, we derive a nebular attenuation curve in the range of 0.41 to $0.66\, \mu$m that has a similar shape and normalization to that of the Galactic extinction curve (Milky Way curve), the SMC curve and the nebular attenuation curve derived recently for typical star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2. We divide the galaxies into bins of stellar mass, gas-phase metallicity, and specific star formation rate, and derive the nebular attenuation curve in each of these bins. This analysis indicates that there is very little variation in the shape of the nebular dust attenuation curve with the properties used to bin the galaxies, and suggests a near universal shape of the nebular dust attenuation curve at least among the galaxies and the range of properties considered in our sample.
We present the largest-ever sample of 79 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z ~ 7.0 selected in the COSMOS and CDFS fields of the LAGER project (the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization). Our newly ...amassed ultradeep narrowband exposure and deeper/wider broadband images have more than doubled the number of LAEs in COSMOS, and we have selected 30 LAEs in the second field CDFS. We detect two large-scale LAE-overdense
regions in the COSMOS that are likely protoclusters at the highest redshift to date. We perform injection and recovery simulations to derive the sample incompleteness. We show that significant incompleteness comes from blending with foreground sources, which, however, has not been corrected in LAE luminosity functions (LFs) in the literature. The bright-end bump in the Lyα LF in COSMOS is confirmed with six (two newly selected)
luminous LAEs (LLyα > 1043.3 erg s−1). Interestingly, the bump is absent in CDFS, in which only one luminous LAE is detected. Meanwhile, the faint-end LFs from the two fields agree well with each other. The six luminous LAEs in COSMOS coincide with two LAE-overdense regions, while such regions are not seen in CDFS. The bright-end LF bump could be attributed to ionized bubbles in a patchy reionization. It appears associated with
cosmic overdensities and thus supports an inside-out reionization topology at z ~ 7.0, i.e., the high-density peaks were ionized earlier compared to the voids. An average neutral hydrogen fraction of xH I ~ 0.2–0.4 is derived at z ~ 7.0 based on the cosmic evolution of the Lyα LF.
Abstract
We present a new measurement of the Ly
α
luminosity function (LF) at redshift
z
= 6.9, finding moderate evolution from
z
= 5.7 that is consistent with a fully or largely ionized
z
∼ 7 ...intergalactic medium. Our result is based on four fields of the LAGER (Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization) project. Our survey volume of 6.1 × 10
6
Mpc
3
is double that of the next largest
z
∼ 7 survey. We combine two new LAGER fields (WIDE12 and GAMA15A) with two previously reported LAGER fields (COSMOS and CDFS). In the new fields, we identify
N
= 95 new
z
= 6.9 Ly
α
emitter (LAEs) candidates, characterize our survey’s completeness and reliability, and compute Ly
α
LFs. The best-fit Schechter LF parameters for all four LAGER fields are in good general agreement. Two fields (COSMOS and WIDE12) show evidence for a bright-end excess above the Schechter function fit. We find that the Ly
α
luminosity density declines at the same rate as the UV continuum LF from
z
= 5.7 to 6.9. This is consistent with an intergalactic medium that was fully ionized as early as redshift
z
∼ 7 or with a volume-averaged neutral hydrogen fraction of
x
H I
< 0.33 at 1
σ
.
ABSTRACT
We investigate the clustering and halo properties of ∼5000 Ly α-selected emission-line galaxies (LAEs) from the Slicing COSMOS 4K (SC4K) and from archival NB497 imaging of SA22 split in 15 ...discrete redshift slices between z ∼ 2.5 and 6. We measure clustering lengths of r0 ∼ 3–6 h−1 Mpc and typical halo masses of ∼1011 M⊙ for our narrowband-selected LAEs with typical LLy α ∼ 1042–43 erg s−1. The intermediate-band-selected LAEs are observed to have r0 ∼ 3.5–15 h−1 Mpc with typical halo masses of ∼1011–12 M⊙ and typical LLy α ∼ 1043–43.6 erg s−1. We find a strong, redshift-independent correlation between halo mass and Ly α luminosity normalized by the characteristic Ly α luminosity, L⋆(z). The faintest LAEs (L ∼ 0.1 L⋆(z)) typically identified by deep narrowband surveys are found in 1010 M⊙ haloes and the brightest LAEs (L ∼ 7 L⋆(z)) are found in ∼5 × 1012 M⊙ haloes. A dependency on the rest-frame 1500 Å UV luminosity, MUV, is also observed where the halo masses increase from 1011 to 1013 M⊙ for MUV ∼ −19 to −23.5 mag. Halo mass is also observed to increase from 109.8 to 1012 M⊙ for dust-corrected UV star formation rates from ∼0.6 to 10 M⊙ yr−1 and continues to increase up to 1013 M⊙ in halo mass, where the majority of those sources are active galactic nuclei. All the trends we observe are found to be redshift independent. Our results reveal that LAEs are the likely progenitors of a wide range of galaxies depending on their luminosity, from dwarf-like, to Milky Way-type, to bright cluster galaxies. LAEs therefore provide unique insight into the early formation and evolution of the galaxies we observe in the local Universe.
We present a multi-wavelength photometric catalog in the COSMOS field as part of the observations by the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey. The catalog is based on Hubble ...Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys observations of the COSMOS field (centered at R.A.: , Decl.: ). The final catalog has 38671 sources with photometric data in 42 bands from UV to the infrared ( ). This includes broadband photometry from HST, CFHT, Subaru, the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, and Spitzer Space Telescope in the visible, near-infrared, and infrared bands along with intermediate- and narrowband photometry from Subaru and medium-band data from Mayall NEWFIRM. Source detection was conducted in the WFC3 F160W band (at 1.6 m) and photometry is generated using the Template FITting algorithm. We further present a catalog of the physical properties of sources as identified in the HST F160W band and measured from the multi-band photometry by fitting the observed spectral energy distributions of sources against templates.
ABSTRACT
We measure the evolution of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and the stellar mass function (SMF) of Lyman-α (Ly α) emitters (LAEs) from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 6 by exploring ∼4000 LAEs from ...the SC4K sample. We find a correlation between Ly α luminosity (LLy α) and rest-frame UV (MUV), with best fit M$_{\rm UV}=-1.6_{-0.3}^{+0.2}\log _{10} (\rm L_{Ly\,\alpha }/erg\, s^{-1})+47_{-11}^{+12}$ and a shallower relation between LLy α and stellar mass (M⋆), with best fit $\log _{10} (\rm M_\star /{\rm M}_\odot)=0.9_{-0.1}^{+0.1}\log _{10} (\rm L_{Ly\,\alpha }/erg\, s^{-1})-28_{-3.8}^{+4.0}$. An increasing LLy α cut predominantly lowers the number density of faint MUV and low M⋆ LAEs. We estimate a proxy for the full UV LFs and SMFs of LAEs with simple assumptions of the faint end slope. For the UV LF, we find a brightening of the characteristic UV luminosity (M$_{\rm UV}^*$) with increasing redshift and a decrease of the characteristic number density (Φ*). For the SMF, we measure a characteristic stellar mass (${\rm M_\star ^*/{\rm M}_\odot }$) increase with increasing redshift, and a Φ* decline. However, if we apply a uniform luminosity cut of $\log _{10} (\rm L_{Ly\,\alpha }/erg\, s^{-1}) \ge 43.0$, we find much milder to no evolution in the UV and SMF of LAEs. The UV luminosity density (ρUV) of the full sample of LAEs shows moderate evolution and the stellar mass density (ρM) decreases, with both being always lower than the total ρUV and ρM of more typical galaxies but slowly approaching them with increasing redshift. Overall, our results indicate that both ρUV and ρM of LAEs slowly approach the measurements of continuum-selected galaxies at z > 6, which suggests a key role of LAEs in the epoch of reionization.
We present our measurements of the Hα, OIII, and O II luminosity functions as part of the Lyman Alpha Galaxies at Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) survey using our samples of 1577 z=0.47Hα-, 3933 z=0.93 ...O III-, and 5367 z=1.59 O II-selected emission line galaxies in a 3 deg2 single, CTIO/Blanco DECam pointing of the COSMOS field. Our observations reach 5σ depths of 8.2 × 10−18 erg s−1 cm−2 and comoving volumes of (1−7) × 105 Mpc3 making our survey one of the deepest narrow-band surveys. We select our emission line galaxies via spectroscopic confirmation, photometric redshifts, and colour–colour selections. We measure the observed luminosity functions for each sample and find best fits of φ* = 10−3.16+0.09 −0.09 Mpc−3and L* = 1041.72+0.09 −0.09 erg s−1 for Hα, φ* = 10−2.16+0.10−0.12 Mpc−3 and L* = 1041.38+0.07 −0.06 erg s−1 for
O III, and φ* = 10−1.97+0.07−0.07 Mpc−3 and L* = 1041.66+0.03−0.03 erg s−1 for OII, with α fixed to −1.75, −1.6, and −1.3, respectively. An excess of bright >1042 erg s−1 O III emitters is observed and may be due to active galactic nucleus (AGN) contamination. Corrections for dust attenuation are applied assuming AHα = 1 mag. We also design our own empirical restframe g − r calibration using SDSS DR12 data, test it against our z = 0.47 Hα emitters with zCOSMOS 1D spectra, and calibrate it for (g − r) between −0.8 and 1.3 mag. Dust and AGN corrected star formation rate densities (SFRDs) are measured as log10ρSFR/(Msun yr−1 Mpc−3)=−1.63 ± 0.04, −1.07 ± 0.06, and −0.90 ± 0.10 for Hα, OIII, and O II, respectively. We find our O III and O II samples fully trace cosmic star formation activity at their respective redshifts in comparison to multiwavelength SFRDs, while the Hα sample traces ∼70 per cent of the total z = 0.47 SFRD.
We present new results from near-infrared spectroscopy with Keck/MOSFIRE of O iii-selected galaxies at z ∼ 3.2 . With our H and K band spectra, we investigate the interstellar medium (ISM) ...conditions, such as ionization states and gas metallicities. O iii emitters at z ∼ 3.2 show a typical gas metallicity of 12 + log ( O H ) = 8.07 0.07 at log ( M * M ) ∼ 9.0 - 9.2 and 12 + log ( O H ) = 8.31 0.04 at log ( M * M ) ∼ 9.7 - 10.2 when using the empirical calibration method. We compare the O iii emitters at z ∼ 3.2 with UV-selected galaxies and Ly emitters at the same epoch and find that the O iii-based selection does not appear to show any systematic bias in the selection of star-forming galaxies. Moreover, comparing with star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2 from the literature, our samples show similar ionization parameters and gas metallicities as those obtained by the previous studies that used the same calibration method. We find no strong redshift evolution in the ISM conditions between z ∼ 3.2 and z ∼ 2 . Considering that the star formation rates at a fixed stellar mass also do not significantly change between the two epochs, our results support the idea that the stellar mass is the primary quantity to describe the evolutionary stages of individual galaxies at z > 2 .
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