Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara Previously Published Works bannerUC Santa Barbara

Searching for z > 6.5 Analogs Near the Peak of Cosmic Star Formation

Published Web Location

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1910.11877
No data is associated with this publication.
Abstract

Strong [O iii]λλ4959,5007 + Hβ emission appears to be typical in star-forming galaxies at z > 6.5. As likely contributors to cosmic reionization, these galaxies and the physical conditions within them are of great interest. At z > 6.5, where Lyα is greatly attenuated by the intergalactic medium, rest-UV metal emission lines provide an alternative measure of redshift and constraints on the physical properties of star-forming regions and massive stars. We present the first statistical sample of rest-UV line measurements in z ∼ 2 galaxies selected as analogs of those in the reionization era based on [O iii]λλ4959,5007 equivalent width (EW) or rest-frame U - B color. Our sample is drawn from the 3D-HST Survey and spans the redshift range 1.36 ≤ z ≤ 2.49. We find that the median Lyα and C iii]λλ1907,1909 EWs of our sample are significantly greater than those of z ∼ 2 UV-continuum-selected star-forming galaxies. Measurements from both individual and composite spectra indicate a monotonic, positive correlation between C iii] and [O iii], while a lack of trend is observed between Lyα and [O iii] at EW[O iii] ≲ 1000 Å. At higher EW[O iii], extreme Lyα emission starts to emerge. Using stacked spectra, we find that Lyα and C iii] are significantly enhanced in galaxies with lower metallicity. Two objects in our sample appear comparable to z > 6.5 galaxies with exceptionally strong rest-UV metal line emission. These objects have significant C iv λλ1548,1550, He ii λ1640, and O iii]λλ1661,1665 emission in addition to intense Lyα or C iii]. Detailed characterization of these lower-redshift analogs provides unique insights into the physical conditions in z > 6.5 star-forming regions, motivating future observations of reionization-era analogs at lower redshifts.

Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.

Item not freely available? Link broken?
Report a problem accessing this item