The fraction of ionizing photons that escape high-redshift galaxies sensitively determines whether galaxies reionized the early Universe. However, this escape fraction cannot be measured from ...high-redshift galaxies because the opacity of the intergalactic medium is large at high redshifts. Without methods to measure the escape fraction of high-redshift galaxies indirectly, it is unlikely that we will know what reionized the Universe. Here, we analyze the far-ultraviolet (UV) H I (Lyman series) and low-ionization metal absorption lines of nine low-redshift, confirmed Lyman continuum emitting galaxies. We use the H I covering fractions, column densities, and dust attenuations measured in a companion paper to predict the escape fraction of ionizing photons. We find good agreement between the predicted and observed Lyman continuum escape fractions (within 1.4σ) using both the H I and ISM absorption lines. The ionizing photons escape through holes in the H I, but we show that dust attenuation reduces the fraction of photons that escape galaxies. This means that the average high-redshift galaxy likely emits more ionizing photons than low-redshift galaxies. Two other indirect methods accurately predict the escape fractions: the Lyα escape fraction and the optical O III/O II flux ratio. We use these indirect methods to predict the escape fraction of a sample of 21 galaxies with rest-frame UV spectra but without Lyman continuum observations. Many of these galaxies have low escape fractions (fesc ≤ 1%), but 11 have escape fractions >1%. Future studies will use these methods to measure the escape fractions of high-redshift galaxies, enabling upcoming telescopes to determine whether star-forming galaxies reionized the early Universe.
We infer the properties of massive star populations using the far-ultraviolet stellar continua of 61 star-forming galaxies: 42 at low redshift observed with the Hubble Space Telescope and 19 at z ~ 2 ...from the MegaSaura sample. We fit each stellar continuum with a linear combination of up to 50 single-age and single-metallicity starburst99 models. From these fits, we derive light-weighted ages and metallicities, which agree with stellar wind and photospheric spectral features, and infer the spectral shapes and strengths of the ionizing continua. Inferred light-weighted stellar metallicities span 0.05–1.5 Z(sub ⊙) and are similar to the measured nebular metallicities. We quantify the ionizing continua using the ratio of the ionizing flux at 900 Å to the non-ionizing flux at 1500 Å and demonstrate the evolution of this ratio with stellar age and metallicity using theoretical single-burst models. These single-burst models only match the inferred ionizing continua of half of the sample, while the other half are described by a mixture of stellar ages. Mixed-age populations produce stronger and harder ionizing spectra than continuous star formation histories, but, contrary to previous studies that assume constant star formation, have similar stellar and nebular metallicities. Stellar population age and metallicity affect the far-UV continua in different and distinguishable ways; assuming a constant star formation history diminishes the diagnostic power. Finally, we provide simple prescriptions to determine the ionizing photon production efficiency (ξ(sub ion)) from the stellar population properties. The ξ(sub ion) inferred from the observed star-forming galaxies has a range of log(ξ(sub ion)) = 24.4–25.7 Hz erg(exp −1) that depends on the stellar population age, metallicity, star formation history, and contributions from binary star evolution. These stellar population properties must be observationally determined to accurately determine the number of ionizing photons generated by massive stars.
Context. The processes allowing the escape of ionizing photons from galaxies into the intergalactic medium are poorly known. Aims. To understand how Lyman continuum (LyC) photons escape galaxies, we ...constrain the H I covering fractions and column densities using ultraviolet (UV) H I and metal absorption lines of 18 star-forming galaxies that have Lyman series observations. Nine of these galaxies are confirmed LyC emitters. Methods. We fit the stellar continuum, dust attenuation, metal, and H I properties to consistently determine the UV attenuation, as well as the column densities and covering factors of neutral hydrogen and metals. We used synthetic interstellar absorption lines to explore the systematics of our measurements. Then we applied our method to the observed UV spectra of low-redshift and z ~ 3 galaxies. Results. The observed H I lines are found to be saturated in all galaxies. An indirect approach using O I column densities and the observed O/H abundances yields H I column densities of log(NH I) ~ 18.6−20 cm−2. These columns are too high to allow the escape of ionizing photons. We find that the known LyC leakers have H I covering fractions less than unity. Ionizing photons escape through optically thin channels in a clumpy interstellar medium. Our simulations confirm that the H I covering fractions are accurately recovered. The Si II and H I covering fractions scale linearly, in agreement with observations from stacked Lyman break galaxy spectra at z ~ 3. Thus, with an empirical correction, the Si II absorption lines can also be used to determine the H I coverage. Finally, we show that a consistent fitting of dust attenuation, continuum, and absorption lines is required to properly infer the covering fraction of neutral gas and subsequently to infer the escape fraction of ionizing radiation. Conclusions. These measurements can estimate the LyC escape fraction, as we demonstrate in a companion paper.
We present the first major data release of the largest single key-project in area carried out in open time with the Herschel Space Observatory. The Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey ...(H-ATLAS) is a survey of 600 deg super( 2) in five photometric bands -- 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 mu m -- with the Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) cameras. In this paper and the companion Paper II, we present the survey of three fields on the celestial equator, covering a total area of 161.6 deg super( 2) and previously observed in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) spectroscopic survey. This paper describes the Herschel images and catalogues of the sources detected on the SPIRE 250 mu m images. The 1 sigma noise for source detection, including both confusion and instrumental noise, is 7.4, 9.4 and 10.2 mJy at 250, 350 and 500 mu m. Our catalogue includes 120 230 sources in total, with 113 995, 46 209 and 11 011 sources detected at >4 sigma at 250, 350 and 500 mu m. The catalogue contains detections at >3 sigma at 100 and 160 mu m for 4650 and 5685 sources, and the typical noise at these wavelengths is 44 and 49 mJy. We include estimates of the completeness of the survey and of the effects of flux bias and also describe a novel method for determining the true source counts. The H-ATLAS source counts are very similar to the source counts from the deeper HerMES survey at 250 and 350 mu m, with a small difference at 500 mu m. Appendix A provides a quick start in using the released data sets, including instructions and cautions on how to use them.
While both the mean and variance of daily temperature are forecasted to increase in future climate scenarios, studies of spring frost risk to vegetation have relied on changes in mean temperature to ...understand frost risk in these scenarios. We present a probabilistic model of spring frost risk based on the stochastic‐crossing properties of a coupled temperature‐phenology model in which the mean, variance, and autocorrelation structure of spring temperature may be controlled through independent parameters. The model results show that frost risk to vegetation is as sensitive to increases in daily temperature variance (which increases frost risk) as to increases in the mean temperature (which decreases frost risk).
We stack the rest-frame ultraviolet spectra of N = 14 highly magnified gravitationally lensed galaxies at redshifts . The resulting new composite spans , with a peak signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of ...103 per spectral resolution element (∼100 km s−1). It is the highest S/N, highest spectral resolution composite spectrum of z ∼ 2-3 galaxies yet published. The composite reveals numerous weak nebular emission lines and stellar photospheric absorption lines that can serve as new physical diagnostics, particularly at high redshift with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We report equivalent widths to aid in proposing for and interpreting JWST spectra. We examine the velocity profiles of strong absorption features in the composite, and in a matched composite of COS/HST galaxy spectra. We find remarkable similarity in the velocity profiles at and , suggesting that similar physical processes control the outflows across cosmic time. While the maximum outflow velocity depends strongly on ionization potential, the absorption-weighted mean velocity does not. As such, the bulk of the high-ionization absorption traces the low-ionization gas, with an additional blueshifted absorption tail extending to at least −2000 km s−1. We interpret this tail as arising from the stellar wind and photospheres of massive stars. Starburst99 models are able to replicate this high-velocity absorption tail. However, these theoretical models poorly reproduce several of the photospheric absorption features, indicating that improvements are needed to match observational constraints on the massive stellar content of star-forming galaxies at . We publicly release our composite spectra.
We present rest-frame ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy of the brightest lensed galaxy yet discovered, at redshift z = 2.4. The source reveals a characteristic triple-peaked Lyman α profile that ...has been predicted in various theoretical works, but to our knowledge has not been unambiguously observed previously. The feature is well fit by a superposition of two components: a double-peak profile emerging from substantial radiative transfer, and a narrow, central component resulting from directly escaping Lyman α photons, but it is poorly fit by either component alone. We demonstrate that the feature is unlikely to contain contamination from nearby sources, and that the central peak is unaffected by radiative transfer effects except for very slight absorption. The feature is detected at signal-to-noise ratios exceeding 80 per pixel at line center, and bears strong resemblance to synthetic profiles predicted by numerical models.
ABSTRACT We measure C iii 1907, C iii 1909 emission lines in 11 gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 1.6-3, finding much lower equivalent widths than previously reported for fainter ...lensed galaxies. While it is not yet clear what causes some galaxies to be strong C iii emitters, C iii emission is not a universal property of distant star-forming galaxies. We also examine C iii emission in 46 star-forming galaxies in the local universe, using archival spectra from GHRS, FOS, and STIS on HST and IUE. Twenty percent of these local galaxies show strong C iii emission, with equivalent widths < −5 . Three nearby galaxies show C iii emission equivalent widths as large as the most extreme emitters yet observed in the distant universe; all three are Wolf-Rayet galaxies. At all redshifts, strong C iii emission may pick out low-metallicity galaxies experiencing intense bursts of star formation. Such local C iii emitters may shed light on the conditions of star formation in certain extreme high-redshift galaxies.
We present the dust properties and star formation histories of local submillimetre-selected galaxies, classified by optical morphology. Most of the galaxies are late types and very few are early ...types. The early-type galaxies (ETGs) that are detected contain as much dust as typical spirals, and form a unique sample that has been blindly selected at submillimetre wavelengths. Additionally, we investigate the properties of the most passive, dusty spirals.
We morphologically classify 1087 galaxies detected in the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS) Science Demonstration Phase data. Comparing to a control sample of optically selected galaxies, we find 5.5 per cent of luminous ETGs are detected in H-ATLAS. The H-ATLAS ETGs contain a significant mass of cold dust: the mean dust mass is 5.5 × 107 M⊙, with individual galaxies ranging from 9 × 105 to 4 × 108 M⊙. This is comparable to that of spiral galaxies in our sample, and is an order of magnitude more dust than that found for the control early-types, which have a median dust mass inferred from stacking of (0.8-4.0) × 106 M⊙ for a cold dust temperature of 25-15 K. The early-types detected in H-ATLAS tend to have bluer NUV − r colours, higher specific star formation rates and younger stellar populations than early-types which are optically selected, and may be transitioning from the blue cloud to the red sequence.
We also find that H-ATLAS and control early-types inhabit similar low-density environments. We investigate whether the observed dust in H-ATLAS early-types is from evolved stars, or has been acquired from external sources through interactions and mergers. We conclude that the dust in H-ATLAS and control ETGs cannot be solely from stellar sources, and a large contribution from dust formed in the interstellar medium or external sources is required. Alternatively, dust destruction may not be as efficient as predicted. We also explore the properties of the most passive spiral galaxies in our sample with specific star formation rate (SSFR) < 10−11 yr−1. We find these passive spirals have lower dust-to-stellar mass ratios, higher stellar masses and older stellar population ages than normal spirals. The passive spirals inhabit low-density environments similar to those of the normal spiral galaxies in our sample. This shows that the processes which turn spirals passive do not occur solely in the intermediate-density environments of group and cluster outskirts.
Gravitational lensing is a powerful astrophysical and cosmological probe and is particularly valuable at submillimeter wavelengths for the study of the statistical and individual properties of dusty ...star-forming galaxies. However, the identification of gravitational lenses is often time-intensive, involving the sifting of large volumes of imaging or spectroscopic data to find few candidates. We used early data from the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey to demonstrate that wide-area submillimeter surveys can simply and easily detect strong gravitational lensing events, with close to 100% efficiency.
PDF
![C III] EMISSION IN STAR-FOR...](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/2041-8205_2041-8213/small "C III] EMISSION IN STAR-FORMING GALAXIES NEAR AND FAR")
