ABSTRACT
We present new measurements of the spatial distribution and kinematics of neutral hydrogen in the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium surrounding star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2. Using ...the spectra of ≃3000 galaxies with redshifts 〈z〉 = 2.3 ± 0.4 from the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey, we assemble a sample of more than 200 000 distinct foreground-background pairs with projected angular separations of 3–500 arcsec and spectroscopic redshifts, with 〈zfg〉 = 2.23 and 〈zbg〉 = 2.57 (foreground, background redshifts, respectively.) The ensemble of sightlines and foreground galaxies is used to construct a 2D map of the mean excess $\rm{H\,{\small I}}$$\rm Ly\,\alpha$ optical depth relative to the intergalactic mean as a function of projected galactocentric distance (20 ≲ Dtran/pkpc ≲ 4000) and line-of-sight velocity. We obtain accurate galaxy systemic redshifts, providing significant information on the line-of-sight kinematics of $\rm{H\,{\small I}}$ gas as a function of projected distance Dtran. We compare the map with cosmological zoom-in simulation, finding qualitative agreement between them. A simple two-component (accretion, outflow) analytical model generally reproduces the observed line-of-sight kinematics and projected spatial distribution of $\rm{H\,{\small I}}$. The best-fitting model suggests that galaxy-scale outflows with initial velocity vout ≃ 600 km s$^{-1}\,$ dominate the kinematics of circumgalactic $\rm{H\,{\small I}}$ out to Dtran ≃ 50 kpc, while $\rm{H\,{\small I}}$ at Dtran ≳ 100 kpc is dominated by infall with characteristic vin ≲ circular velocity. Over the impact parameter range 80 ≲ Dtran/pkpc ≲ 200, the $\rm{H\,{\small I}}$ line-of-sight velocity range reaches a minimum, with a corresponding flattening in the rest-frame $\rm Ly\,\alpha$ equivalent width. These observations can be naturally explained as the transition between outflow-dominated and accretion-dominated flows. Beyond Dtran ≃ 300 pkpc (∼1 cMpc), the line-of-sight kinematics are dominated by Hubble expansion.
Extended nebulae of Ly{alpha} emission ('Ly{alpha} blobs') are known to be associated with overdense regions at high redshift. Here we present six large Ly{alpha} blobs in a previously known ...protocluster with galaxy overdensity {delta} {approx} 7 at z = 2.3; this is the richest field of giant Ly{alpha} blobs detected to date. The blobs have linear sizes of {approx}> 100 kpc and Ly{alpha} luminosities of {approx}10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1}. The positions of the blobs define two linear filaments with an extent of at least 12 comoving Mpc; these filaments intersect at the center of one of the blobs. Measurement of the position angles of the blobs indicates that five of the six are aligned with these filaments to within {approx}10{sup 0}, suggesting a connection between the physical processes powering extended Ly{alpha} emission and those driving structure on larger scales.
Using a sample of 92 UV continuum-selected, spectroscopically identified galaxies with (z) = 2.65, all of which have been imaged in the Ly{alpha} line with extremely deep narrow-band imaging, we ...examine galaxy Ly{alpha} emission profiles to very faint surface brightness limits. The galaxy sample is representative of spectroscopic samples of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at similar redshifts in terms of apparent magnitude, UV luminosity, inferred extinction, and star formation rate and was assembled without regard to Ly{alpha} emission properties. Approximately 45% (55%) of the galaxy spectra have Ly{alpha} appearing in net absorption (emission), with {approx_equal} 20% satisfying commonly used criteria for the identification of 'Ly{alpha} emitters' (LAEs; W{sub 0}(Ly{alpha}) {>=} 20 A). We use extremely deep stacks of rest-UV continuum and continuum-subtracted Ly{alpha} images to show that all sub-samples exhibit diffuse Ly{alpha} emission to radii of at least 10'' ({approx}80 physical kpc). The characteristic exponential scale lengths for Ly{alpha} line emission exceed that of the {lambda}{sub 0} = 1220 A UV continuum light by factors of {approx}5-10. The surface brightness profiles of Ly{alpha} emission are strongly suppressed relative to the UV continuum light in the inner few kpc, by amounts that are tightly correlated with the galaxies' observed spectral morphology; however, all galaxy sub-subsamples, including that of galaxies for which Ly{alpha} appears in net absorption in the spectra, exhibit qualitatively similar diffuse Ly{alpha} emission halos. Accounting for the extended Ly{alpha} emission halos, which generally would not be detected in the slit spectra of individual objects or with typical narrow-band Ly{alpha} imaging, increases the total Ly{alpha} flux (and rest equivalent width W{sub 0}(Ly{alpha})) by an average factor of {approx}5, and by a much larger factor for the 80% of LBGs not classified as LAEs. We argue that most, if not all, of the observed Ly{alpha} emission in the diffuse halos originates in the galaxy H II regions but is scattered in our direction by H I gas in the galaxy's circum-galactic medium. The overall intensity of Ly{alpha} halos, but not the surface brightness distribution, is strongly correlated with the emission observed in the central {approx}1''-more luminous halos are observed for galaxies with stronger central Ly{alpha} emission. We show that whether or not a galaxy is classified as a giant 'Ly{alpha} blob' (LAB) depends sensitively on the Ly{alpha} surface brightness threshold reached by an observation. Accounting for diffuse Ly{alpha} halos, all LBGs would be LABs if surveys were sensitive to 10 times lower Ly{alpha} surface brightness thresholds; similarly, essentially all LBGs would qualify as LAEs.
We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic survey of 321 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z{approx} 3 to investigate systematically the relationship between Lyalpha emission and stellar ...populations. Lyalpha equivalent widths (W{sub Lya}lpha) were calculated from rest-frame UV spectroscopy and optical/near-infrared/Spitzer photometry was used in population synthesis modeling to derive the key properties of age, dust extinction, star formation rate (SFR), and stellar mass. We directly compare the stellar populations of LBGs with and without strong Lyalpha emission, where we designate the former group (W{sub Lya}lpha>= 20 A) as Lyalpha emitters (LAEs) and the latter group (W{sub Lya}lpha< 20 A) as non-LAEs. This controlled method of comparing objects from the same UV luminosity distribution represents an improvement over previous studies in which the stellar populations of LBGs and narrowband-selected LAEs were contrasted, where the latter were often intrinsically fainter in broadband filters by an order of magnitude simply due to different selection criteria. Using a variety of statistical tests, we find that Lyalpha equivalent width and age, SFR, and dust extinction, respectively, are significantly correlated in the sense that objects with strong Lyalpha emission also tend to be older, lower in SFR, and less dusty than objects with weak Lyalpha emission, or the line in absorption. We accordingly conclude that, within the LBG sample, objects with strong Lyalpha emission represent a later stage of galaxy evolution in which supernovae-induced outflows have reduced the dust covering fraction. We also examined the hypothesis that the attenuation of Lyalpha photons is lower than that of the continuum, as proposed by some, but found no evidence to support this picture.
Observations of QSOs at
z
∼
5.7–6.4 show the appearance of Gunn–Peterson troughs around
z
∼
6, and a change in the slope of the IGM optical depth
τ(
z) near
z
∼
5.5. These results are interpreted as ...a signature of the end of the reionization era, which probably started at considerably higher redshifts. However, there also appears to be a substantial cosmic variance in the transmission of the IGM, both along some lines of sight, and among different lines of sight, in this intriguing redshift regime. We suggest that this is indicative of a spatially uneven reionization, possibly caused by the bias-driven primordial clustering of the reionization sources. There is also some independent evidence for a strong clustering of QSOs at
z
∼
4–5 and galaxies around them, supporting the idea of the strong biasing of the first luminous sources at these redshifts. Larger samples of high-
z QSOs are needed in order to provide improved, statistically significant constraints for the models of these phenomena. We expect that the Palomar-Quest (PQ) survey will soon provide a new set of QSOs to be used as cosmological probes in this redshift regime.
In this thesis we present two studies of star-forming galaxies at z ≈2–3 based on deep spectroscopic and narrow band imaging observations. The first study addresses pressing questions regarding the ...nature of galaxies with significant escaping Lyman continuum radiation. Our second study investigates the nature of spatially extended Lyman alpha emission first observed in the form of luminous Lyman α "blobs." In part I of this thesis we present the results of a deep spectroscopic survey to detect Lyman continuum radiation from individual galaxies at z ≈ 3. Our measurements suggest that the escape fraction is strongly variable among galaxies at all luminosities, but that there is a significant preference for higher escape fraction in objects with luminosity lower than L∗. The integrated escaping radiation from galaxies is sufficient to complement the contribution of AGN in keeping the hydrogen in the Universe ionized. Using supporting near-IR and mid-IR photometry we derive model stellar population parameters and discover that Lyman continuum is preferentially detected among objects with lowest values for dust extinction and star-formation rate. This finding may indicate a connection between Lyman continuum escape and the evolutionary stage of a galaxy. In part II we present deep imaging observations in a narrow band centered on Lyman and H at the redshift of a known protocluster of star-forming galaxies (z = 2.3). We discover 6 new giant and bright Lyman "blobs" and identify a large number of Lyman and H emitters at the protocluster redshift. We find an anticorrelation between Lyman and H selection, which is explained by the observation that H emitters show Lyman line in absorption in their spectra. However, the composite Lyman narrow-band image of H emitters uncovers extended emission resembling Lyman blobs in miniature. We conclude that faint Lyman emission from gas within a radius of 40 kpc (or more) is likely a feature common to most galaxies at these redshifts. If ionizing photons produced in star-forming regions are responsible for this faint Lyman "glow", then this extended flux represents a significant fraction of total predicted Lyman equivalent width.
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