We recently reported the discovery of FORJ0332-3557, a lensed Lyman-break galaxy at z=3.77 in a remarkable example of strong galaxy-galaxy gravitational lensing. We present here a medium-resolution rest-frame UV spectrum of the source, which appears to be similar to the well-known Lyman-break galaxy MS1512-cB58 at z=2.73. The spectral energy distribution is consistent with a stellar population of less than 30 Ma, with an extinction of A(V)=0.5 mag and an extinction-corrected star formation rate SFR(UV) of 200-300 Msun/a. The Lyman-alpha line exhibits a damped profile in absorption produced by a column density of about N(HI) = (2.5+_1.0) 10^21 atoms/cm^2, superimposed on an emission line shifted both spatially (0.5 arcsec with respect to the UV continuum source) and in velocity space (+830 km/s with respect to the low-ionisation absorption lines from its interstellar medium), a clear signature of outflows with an expansion velocity of about 270 km/s. A strong emission line from HeII 164.04nm indicates the presence of Wolf-Rayet stars and reinforces the interpretation of a very young starburst. The metallic lines indicate sub-solar abundances of elements Si, Al, and C in the ionised gas phase.
Can the submillimeter counts and background be produced by applying a locally derived extinction correction to the population of Lyman break galaxies? We investigate the submillimeter emission of two strongly lensed Lyman break galaxies (MS1512+36-cB58 and MS1358+62-G1) and find that the procedure that is used to predict the submillimeter emission of the Lyman break galaxy population overpredicts the observed 850micron fluxes by up to a factor of 14. This result calls for caution in applying local correlations to distant galaxies. It also shows that large extinction corrections on Lyman break …
Can the submillimetre counts and background be produced by applying a locally derived extinction correction to the population of Lyman break galaxies? We investigate the submillimetre emission of two strongly lensed Lyman break galaxies (MS1512+36-cB58 and MS1358+62-G1) and find that the procedure that is used to predict the submillimetre emission of the Lyman break galaxy population overpredicts the observed 850 micron fluxes by a factor of up to 14. This result calls for caution in applying local correlations to distant galaxies. It also shows that large extinction corrections on Lyman break…
We detect 1.2mm continuum emission from dust in the gravitationally lensed Lyman break galaxy MS 1512+36-cB58. Our detected flux is surprisingly low: relative to local starburst galaxies, cB58 appears to produce somewhat less far-IR emission than its UV reddening predicts. After comparing several different estimates of the source's dust content, we conclude that the apparent discrepancy is most likely related to uncertainty in its UV spectral slope. Alternate scenarios to account for a far-IR "deficit" which rely on a high dust temperature or differential magnification are less satisfactory. O…
The gravitationally lensed Lyman-alpha emitting galaxy, HCM6A, detected by Hu et al. (2002) at z=6.56 behind the Abell 370 cluster was observed with the MAMBO-2 array of bolometers at 1.2mm wavelength. The galaxy was not detected down to 1.08 mJy (3 sigma), but the depth of the observations and the lens amplification allow us to improve by approximately one order of magnitude previously published upper limits on far infrared emission of Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies at this redshift. The following upper limits are derived from our observations assuming typical dust parameters: dust mass <5.3x1…
We present results from an SED analysis of two lensed high-z objects, the z=6.56 galaxy HCM6A behind the cluster Abell 370 discovered by Hu et al. (2002) and the triple arc at z~7 behind Abell 2218 found by Kneib et al. (2004). For HCM 6A we find indications for the presence of dust in this galaxy, and we estimate the properties of its stellar populations (SFR, age, etc.), and the intrinsic Lyman-alpha emission. From the "best fit" reddening (E(B-V)~0.25) its estimated luminosity is L~(1-4)e.+11 Lsun, in the range of luminous infrared galaxies. For the arc behind Abell 2218 we find a most like…
A 2-hour service-mode SCUBA observation of the gravitationally-lensed Lyman break galaxy MS1512-cB58 resulted in a 3 sigma upper limit of 3.9 mJy at 850um. A comparison of this upper limit with values expected from rest-UV/optical measurements of extiction suggests that dust temperature (T_d) and/or emissivity index (beta) in cB58 may be substantially higher than is seen in local galaxies, or that the attenuation curve in cB58 may be even gentler than the already quite mild SMC dust law. If dust temperature T_d and emissivity index beta in cB58 are similar to those seen in local IRAS-seleceted…
We have used the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer to map CO(3-2) emission from the gravitationally lensed Lyman break galaxy MS1512-cB58. This is the first detection of a molecular emission line in any Lyman break system; its integrated intensity implies a total molecular gas mass of 6.6e9 Msun, while its width implies a dynamical mass of 1.0e10 csc^2i Msun (for a flat Lambda=0.7 cosmology). These estimates are in excellent concordance with nearly all parameters of the system measured at other wavelengths, and yield a consistent picture of past and future star formation with no obvious disc…
By combining HST imaging with optical (VIMOS) and near-infrared (SINFONI) integral field spectroscopy we exploit the gravitational potential of a massive, rich cluster at z=0.9 to study the internal properties of a gravitationally lensed galaxy at z=4.88. Using a detailed gravitational lens model of the cluster RCS0224-002 we reconstruct the source-frame morphology of the lensed galaxy on 200pc scales and find an ~L* Lyman-break galaxy with an intrinsic size of only 2.0x0.8kpc, a velocity gradient of <60km/s and an implied dynamical mass of 1.0x10^10Mo within 2kpc. We infer an integrated star-…
We discuss new observational constraints on the abundance of faint high redshift Lyman-alpha emitters secured from a deep Keck near-infrared spectroscopic survey which utilizes the strong magnification provided by lensing galaxy clusters at intermediate redshift (z=0.2-0.5). In each of 9 clusters we have undertaken a systematic `blind' search for line emission with NIRSPEC in the J-band within carefully-selected regions which offer very high magnifications (>10-50x) for background sources with redshifts z~10. The high magnification enables the detection of emission at unprecedented limits (10^…
1.02-1.16 micron spectra (R ~ 7,000) of the gravitationally lensed QSO APM 08279+5255 at z_em=3.911 were obtained during the commissioning run of IRCS, the 1-5 micron near-infrared camera and spectrograph for the Subaru 8.2 m Telescope. Strong MgII doublet at 2976,2800 angstrom and FeII (2600 angstrom), FeII (2587 angstrom) absorption lines at z_abs=2.974 were clearly detected in the rest-frame UV spectra, confirming the presence of a damped Lyman-alpha system at the redshift as suggested by Petitjean et al. Also MgI (2853 angstrom) absorption line is probably detected. An analysis of the abso…
We report the discovery of a new Einstein cross at redshift z_S = 2.701 based on Lyman-alpha emission in a cruciform configuration around an SDSS luminous red galaxy (z_L = 0.331). The system was targeted as a possible lens based on an anomalous emission line in the SDSS spectrum. Imaging and spectroscopy from the W. M. Keck Observatory confirm the lensing nature of this system. This is one of the widest-separation galaxy-scale lenses known, with an Einstein radius of ~1.84 arcsec. We present simple gravitational lens models for the system and compute the intrinsic properties of the lensed gal…
Although damped Lyman alpha (DLA) systems are usually considered metal-poor, it has been suggested that this could be due to observational bias against metal-enriched absorbers. I review recent surveys to quantify the particular issue of dust obscuration bias and demonstrate that there is currently no compelling observational evidence to support a widespread effect due to extinction. On the other hand, a small sub-set of DLAs may be metal-rich and I review some recent observations of these metal-rich absorbers and the detection of diffuse interstellar bands in one DLA at z ~ 0.5.
We report on the serendipitous discovery of the brightest Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG) currently known, a galaxy at z=2.73 that is being strongly lensed by the z=0.38 Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) SDSS J002240.91+143110.4. The arc of this gravitational lens system, which we have dubbed the "8 o'clock arc" due to its time of discovery, was initially identified in the imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 (SDSS DR4); followup observations on the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) 3.5m telescope at Apache Point Observatory confirmed the lensing nature of this system and led to …
We present results of the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys spectroscopic ground-based redshift survey in the field of A1689. We measure 98 redshifts, increasing the number of spectroscopically confirmed objects by sixfold. We present two spectra from this catalog of the Sextet Arcs, images which arise from a strongly-lensed Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG) at a redshift of z=3.038. Gravitational lensing by the cluster magnifies its flux by a factor of ~16 and produces six separate images with a total r-band magnitude of r_625=21.7. The two spectra, each of which represents emission from different regio…
We present Spitzer infrared (IR) photometry and spectroscopy of the lensed Lyman break galaxy (LBG), MS1512-cB58 at z=2.73. The large (factor ~30) magnification allows for the most detailed infrared study of an L*_UV(z=3) LBG to date. Broadband photometry with IRAC (3-10 micron), IRS (16 micron), and MIPS (24, 70 & 160 micron) was obtained as well as IRS spectroscopy spanning 5.5-35 microns. A fit of stellar population models to the optical/near-IR/IRAC photometry gives a young age (~9 Myr), forming stars at ~98 M_sun/yr, with a total stellar mass of ~10^9 M_sun formed thus far. The existence …
Observations of absorption systems in close, multiple lines of sight to gravitationally lensed QSOs can be used to infer the density fluctuations and motions of the gas clouds giving rise to the Lyman alpha forest phenomenon and to QSO metal absorption lines. We describe a survey of lensed QSOs with the Keck HIRES instrument and argue that one can derive limits on the frequency and importance of hydrodynamical disturbances inflicted by galaxies on the surrounding gas from such data. We discuss differences between the kinematic properties of low density unsaturated Lyman alpha forest absorption…
We present new observations of the binary Sirius A / Sirius B performed with HST-GHRS. Two interstellar clouds are detected on this sightline, one of them being identified as the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC). The interstellar structure of this sightline is constrained by high spectral resolution data of the species OI, NI, SiII, CII, FeII and MgII. Lyman alpha interstellar lines are also observed toward the two stars. But whereas the deuterium Lyman alpha line is well detected in the LIC with an abundance in agreement with that obtained by Linsky et al. (1993 & 1995), no significant DI line …
In this paper, we study heliospheric Ly-$α$ absorption toward nearby stars in different lines of sight. We use the Baranov-Malama model of the solar wind interaction with a two-component (charged component and H atoms) interstellar medium. Interstellar atoms are described kinetically in the model. The code allows us to separate the heliospheric absorption into two components, produced by H atoms originating in the hydrogen wall and heliosheath regions, respectively. We study the sensitivity of the heliospheric absorption to the assumed interstellar proton and H atom number densities. These the…
The quasar Q1208+1011 (z_{em}=3.8) is the second highest redshift double quasar ever detected. Several indications point toward it being a gravitational lensed system, although a definitive proof is still lacking. We present new evidence of its lensed nature based on the weakness of the ``proximity effect'' measured in the high resolution Lyman absorption spectrum of the QSO. A luminosity amplification as large as 22 has been derived from this analysis. Indications on the redshift of the lensing galaxy can be obtained from the analysis of the intervening heavy element absorption systems discov…
We use newly developed 3D kinetic MHD models of the heliosphere to predict heliospheric H I Lyman-alpha absorption for various lines of sight. These predictions are compared with actual Lyman-alpha spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope, many of which have yielded previous detections of heliospheric absorption. We find that the absorption predicted by the models is weakly affected by both the magnitude and orientation of the assumed ISM magnetic field. Models with B=1.25-2.5 micro-Gauss and an angle of alpha=15-45 deg with respect to the upwind direction of the ISM flow generally provide the …
We have carried out an extensive spectroscopic survey with the Keck and VLT telescopes, targeting lensed galaxies in the background of the massive cluster Abell 68. Spectroscopic measurements are obtained for 26 lensed images, including a distant galaxy at z=5.4 . Redshifts have been determined for 5 out of 7 multiply-image systems. Through a careful modeling of the mass distribution in the strongly-lensed regime, we derive a mass estimate of 5.3 x 10^14 Msun within 500 kpc. Our mass model is then used to constrain the redshift distribution of the remaining multiply-imaged and singly-imaged so…
We discuss the optical spectrum of a multiply-imaged arc resolved by HST in the $z$=0.175 cluster A2218. The spectrum, obtained with LDSS-2 on the 4.2m William Herschel telescope, reveals the source to be a galaxy at a redshift $z$=2.515 in excellent agreement with the value predicted by Kneib et al. (1996) on the basis of their inversion of a highly-constrained mass model for the lensing cluster. The source is extremely blue in its optical-infrared colours, consistent with active star formation, and the spectrum reveals absorption lines characteristic of a young stellar population. Of particu…
We present the results of a detailed study of the interstellar medium of MS 1512-cB58, an L* Lyman break galaxy at z = 2.7276, based on new spectral observations obtained with the Echelle Spectrograph and Imager on the Keck II telescope at 58 km/s resolution. We focus in particular on the chemical abundances and kinematics of the interstellar gas and our main findings are as follows. Even at this relatively early epoch, the ISM of this galaxy is already highly enriched in elements released by Type II supernovae; the abundances of O, Mg, Si, P, and S are all about 2/5 of their solar values. In …
We report the first detection of the 5705 and 5780 A Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) in a moderate redshift Damped Lyman alpha (DLA) system. We measure a rest frame equivalent width of 63.2 +- 8.7 mA for the 5705 and 216+-9 mA for the 5780 A feature in the z_abs 0.524 DLA towards AO 0235+164 and derive limits for the equivalent widths of the bands at 5797, 6284, and 6613 A. The equivalent width of the 5780 band is lower than would be expected based on the Galactic correlation of DIB strength with N(HI), but is in good agreement with the correlation with E(B-V). The relative strengths of the …
We have determined the metallicity of the $z_{abs} = 1.0093$ damped Lyman alpha system in the bright QSO EX 0302-223; this is only the third such measurement at redshifts $z \simlt 1$. Unlike the previous two cases, we find that the abundance of Zn is only a factor of $\sim 2$ lower than in the Galactic interstellar medium today and is entirely compatible with the typical metallicity of stars in the Milky Way disk at a look-back time of 9.5 Gyrs. Although the galaxy responsible for producing the absorption system has yet to be positively identified, our observations show that galaxies on a che…
We use self-consistent kinetic/hydrodynamic models of the heliosphere to predict H I Lyman-alpha absorption profiles for various lines of sight through the heliosphere. These results are compared with Lyman-alpha absorption lines of six nearby stars observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. The directions of these lines of sight range from nearly upwind (36 Oph) to nearly downwind (Epsilon Eri). Only three of the Lyman-alpha spectra (36 Oph, Alpha Cen, and Sirius) actually show evidence for the presence of heliospheric absorption, which is blended with the ubiquitous interstellar absorption, but…
We present the results of a systematic study of the rest-frame UV spectroscopic properties of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs). The database of almost 1000 LBG spectra proves useful for constructing high S/N composite spectra. The composite spectrum of the entire sample reveals a wealth of features attributable to hot stars, HII regions, dust, and outflowing neutral and ionized gas. By grouping the database according to galaxy parameters such as Lyman-alpha equivalent width, UV spectral slope, and interstellar kinematics, we isolate some of the major trends in LBG spectra which are least compromise…
Strongly lensed galaxies at high redshift provide a unique window into the early universe. We compare the internal kinematics of the strongly lensed Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) 'arc&core' at z=3.2 (the first strongly lensed z~3 LBG with the signs of rotation on sub-kiloparsec scales) with an LBG that is not gravitationally lensed, as well as with a larger sample of actively star-forming galaxies at slightly lower redshifts. All galaxies have deep rest-frame optical integral-field spectroscopy obtained with the VLT. The unlensed galaxies appear to have a larger ratio of random to bulk motion. Fiel…
We have reevaluated the constraints on the Lyman continuum emission from four starburst galaxies observed with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) during the Astro-2 mission. Applying a detailed model of the absorption by interstellar gases in our Galaxy, and using the latest HUT data products, we find upper limits to the redshifted Lyman continuum that are less restrictive than those reported previously (Leitherer et al. 1995 ApJ, 454, L19). Well determined astrophysical and instrumental effects permit 2-sigma upper limits no tighter than 5.2%, 11%, 57%, and 3.2% to be set on the escape f…
We use an updated self-consistent kinetic/gasdynamic model of the solar wind/interstellar flow interaction to compute the Lyman-alpha absorption by hydrogen atoms of both interstellar and solar origin generated in the heliospheric interface. We apply this model to the direction of the star Sirius. We show that the neutralized, compressed solar wind from the heliosheath explains the extra absorption at positive redshifts observed in the Lyman-alpha line with the HST/GHRS. This removes the need for the interstellar hot gas previously proposed to explain this extra absorption. We also show that e…
Using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer, we have searched for CO(3-2) emission from the dusty Lyman break galaxy Westphal-MD11 at z = 2.98. Our sensitive upper limit is surprisingly low relative to the system's 850 um flux density and implies a far-IR/CO luminosity ratio as elevated as those seen in local ultraluminous mergers. We conclude that the observed dust emission must originate in a compact structure radiating near its blackbody limit and that a relatively modest molecular gas reservoir must be fuelling an intense nuclear starburst (and/or deeply buried active nucleus) that may h…
We present the first intermediate-resolution (lambda / 3000) spectrum of the bright quasi-stellar object 3C273 at wavelengths between 900 and 1200 A. Observations were performed with the Berkeley spectrograph aboard the ORFEUS-SPAS II mission. We detect Lyman beta counterparts to previously-identified intergalactic Lyman-alpha features at cz = 19900, 1600, and 1000 km/s; counterparts to other putative Lyman-alpha clouds along the sight line are below our detection limit. The strengths of the two very low redshift Lyman-beta features, which are believed to arise in Virgo intracluster gas, excee…
We present the results of microlens ray-tracing simulations showing the effect of absorbing material between a source quasar and a lensing galaxy in a gravitational lens system. We find that, in addition to brightness fluctuations due to microlensing, the strength of the absorption line relative to the continuum varies with time, with the properties of the variations depending on the structure of the absorbing material. We conclude that such variations will be measurable via UV spectroscopy of image A of the gravitationally lensed quasar Q2237+0305 if the Lyman Alpha clouds between the quasar …
We propose a new method to constrain the actual state of the interstellar cloud that surrounds the solar system. Using Voyager UVS Lyman-alpha sky maps and the powerful principle of invariance, we derive the H distribution all along the spacecraft path. Provided current models of the heliopause interface between the solar and the interstellar winds, we extrapolate this distribution to farther distances from the Sun and infer in a self consistent way key parameters of the local cloud.
We present the results of a systematic search for gravitationally-lensed continuum Lyman break `drop-outs' beyond a redshift 7 conducted via very deep imaging through six foreground clusters undertaken with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. The survey has yielded 10 z-band and 2 J-band drop-out candidates to photometric limits of J_110~=26.2 AB (5sigma). Taking into account the magnifications afforded by our clusters (1-4 magnitudes), we probe the presence of z>7 sources to unlensed limits of J_{110}~=30 AB, fainter than those charted in the Hubble Ultradeep Field. To verify the fidelit…
We use high-resolution UV spectra taken by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope to study the 5.5 pc line of sight to the K0 V star 36 Oph A. The one interstellar component detected for this line of sight has a velocity inconsistent with the local interstellar cloud (LIC) flow vector, but consistent with the flow vector of the so-called G cloud, a very nearby warm cloud in the Galactic Center direction. From our data, we measure the following values for the interstellar temperature, nonthermal velocity, H I column density, and D/H value: T=5900…
We present a spectroscopic survey for strong galaxy-galaxy lenses. Exploiting optimal sight-lines to massive, bulge-dominated galaxies at redshifts $z \sim 0.4$ with wide-field, multifibre spectroscopy, we anticipate the detection of 10-20 lensed Lyman-$α$ emitting galaxies at redshifts $z \simgreat 3$ from a sample of 2000 deflectors. Initial spectroscopic observations are described and the prospects for constraining the emission-line luminosity function of the Lyman-$α$ emitting population are outlined.
We discuss the spectral character of Lyman-limit-selected, star-forming galaxies at z>3. The rest-frame UV spectra of these faint galaxies may show Ly-alpha in either absorption or emission, probably depending upon their local ISM content and geometry. Other UV interstellar resonance absorption lines show considerable variation in strength, likely related to differences in the galactic metal abundances. We present initial results on B-drop galaxies, generally at z~4. Our low-resolution spectrograms show no measurable flux below the redshifted Lyman limit (912 Angstroms). Thus, it is likely tha…
We report the detection of a z~7 galaxy strongly lensed by the massive galaxy cluster Abell 2218 (z=0.175) at 3.6 and 4.5 um using the Spitzer Observatory and at 1.1 um using the Hubble Space Telescope. The new data indicate a refined photometric redshift in the range of 6.6-6.8 depending on the presence of Ly-alpha emission. The spectral energy distribution is consistent with having a significant Balmer break, suggesting that the galaxy is in the poststarburst stage with an age of at least ~50 Myr and quite possibly a few hundred Myr. This suggests the possibility that a mature stellar popula…
We analyze local ISM absorption observed in the Lyman-alpha and Mg II h & k lines of six nearby K dwarf stars, using UV spectra of these stars obtained with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. For four of the six stars, we detect an absorption component with a velocity and column density consistent with the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC). For HD 197890, there is no observed component at the expected LIC velocity, or at the projected velocity of the G cloud, which is a nearby cloud in the general direction of the Galactic Center. It also seems doubtful that e…
FUSE spectra of star-forming regions in nearby galaxies are compared to composite spectra of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs), binned by strength of Lyman alpha emission and by mid-UV luminosity. Several far-UV spectral features, including lines dominated by stellar wind and by photospheric components, are very sensitive to stellar abundances. Their measurement in Lyman-break galaxies is compromised by the strong interstellar absorption features, allowing in some cases only upper limits. The derived C and N abundances in the LBGs are no higher than half solar (scaled to oxygen abundance for compari…
High resolution far-ultraviolet spectra of the O-type subdwarf BD +28 4211 were obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) to measure the interstellar deuterium, nitrogen, and oxygen abundances in this direction. The interstellar D I transitions are analyzed down to Lyman iota at 920.7 A. The star was observed several times at different target offsets in the direction of spectral dispersion. The aligned and coadded spectra have high signal-to-noise ratios (S/N =50-100). D I, N I, and O I transitions were analyzed with curve-of-growth and profile fitting techniques. A model…
We study the influence of the non-flat shape of the solar Lyman-alpha line on the distribution of neutral interstellar hydrogen in the inner heliosphere and assess importance of this effect for interpretation of heliospheric in situ measurements. Based on available data, construct a model of evolution of the solar Lyman-alpha line profile with solar activity. Modify an existing test-particle code calculating distribution of neutral interstellar hydrogen in the inner heliosphere to take into account the dependence of radiation pressure on radial velocity. Discrepancies between the classical and…
Analysis of the absorption lines in the afterglow spectrum of the gamma-ray burst GRB010222 indicates that its host galaxy (at a redshift of z=1.476) is the strongest damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) system known, having a very low metallicity and modest dust content. This conclusion is based on the detection of the red wing of Lyman-alpha plus a comparison of the equivalent widths of ultraviolet Mg I, Mg II, and Fe II lines with those in other DLAs. The column density of H I, deduced from a fit to the wing of Lyman-alpha, is (5 +/- 2) 10^22 cm^-2. The ratio of the column densities of Zn and Cr lines …
In the course of a Cycle 8 snapshot survey, we have discovered that the z=1.565 quasar HE 0512-3329 is a double with image separation 0.644", almost certainly due to gravitational lensing. The two components differ in brightness by only 0.4 magnitudes and a high signal-to-noise ground-based composite optical spectrum shows no trace of any stellar features at zero redshift, essentially ruling out the possibility that one of the two components is an ordinary Galactic star. The optical spectrum shows strong absorption features of MgII, MgI, FeII, FeI, and CaI, all at an identical intervening reds…
HST imaging and slitless spectroscopy are used to examine where the strong Lyman alpha emission escapes from the interstellar medium in the starburst galaxy Mkn 357. An H-alpha image shows that the ionized gas is mostly in a global wind, rather than associated with the individual star-forming regions seen in the optical and UV continuum. The Lyman alpha emission comes predominantly from the northwest side of the wind structure spatially, and shows a significant redshift relative to the optical lines. Both of these properties are signatures of seeing the line photons backscattered from the far …
We have obtained an exceptionally high S/N, high resolution spectrum of the gravitationally lensed quasar Q1422+231 in order to investigate the metal enrichment of the IGM. A column density distribution function (CDDF) is determined for CIV, which is well fit by a power law with index 1.44 +/- 0.05. Once a correction for incompleteness is applied, we find that the CDDF is consistent with a power law down to log N(CIV) = 11.75, a factor of 10 more sensitive than previously determined. In order to determine whether the CIV enrichment extends to even lower column density HI clouds, we find that a…
We present accurate Monte-Carlo calculations of Lyman Alpha (hereafter Lya) radiation pressure in a range of models which represent galaxies during various epochs of our Universe. We show that the radiation force that Lya photons exert on hydrogen gas in the neutral intergalactic medium (IGM), that surrounds minihalos that host the first stars, may exceed gravity by orders of magnitude and drive supersonic winds. Lya radiation pressure may also dominate over gravity in the neutral IGM that surrounds the HII regions produced by the first galaxies. However, the radiation force is likely too weak…
Ground-based & HST images of the nearby galaxy SBS 1543+593 (z=0.009) show it to be a Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxy with a central surface brightness of mu_B(0)=23.2 mag/arcsec-2 and scale length 0.9 h-1 kpc, values typical for the local LSB galaxy population. The galaxy lies directly in front of the QSO HS 1543+5921 (z=0.807); an HST STIS spectrum of the quasar reveals a damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) line at the redshift of the interloper with an HI column density of log N(HI) = 20.35, as well as several low-ionization metal lines with strengths similar to those found in the Milky Way inters…
Le Brun et al. (1997) presented the first identifications of the galaxies giving rise to 7 intermediate redshift damped Ly-alpha (DLA) absorption systems. Here, we study the gravitational lensing properties of these foreground galaxies based on their observed optical appearance and on the absence of any secondary lensed quasar image. We consider the possibility that any secondary image be hidden due to extinction by dust, but find it unlikely. We derive upper limits on the amplification factor affecting the luminosity of the background quasars; in each case, this factor is found to be less tha…
A numerical code for solving various Lyman alpha (Lya) radiative transfer (RT) problems is presented. The code is suitable for an arbitrary, three-dimensional distribution of Lya emissivity, gas temperature, density, and velocity field. Capable of handling Lya RT in an adaptively refined grid-based structure, it enables detailed investigation of the effects of clumpiness of the interstellar (or intergalactic) medium. The code is tested against various geometrically and physically idealized configurations for which analytical solutions exist, and subsequently applied to three "Lyman-break galax…
We use observations from the CASTLES survey of gravitational lenses to study extinction in 23 lens galaxies with $0 < z_l < 1$. The median differential extinction between lensed images is $ΔE(\bv) = 0.05$ mag, and the directly measured extinctions agree with the amount needed to explain the differences between the statistics of radio and (optical) quasar lens surveys. We also measure the first extinction laws outside the local universe, including an $R_V=7.2$ curve for a molecular cloud at $z_l=0.68$ and an $R_V=1.5$ curve for the dust in a redshift $z_l=0.96$ elliptical galaxy.
If gravitational clustering is a hierarchical process, the present large-scale structure of the galaxy distribution implies that structures on smaller scales must have formed at high redshift. We simulate the formation of small-scale structure (average cell mass: $Δ\bar m_b=10^{4.2}$M$_\odot$) and the evolution of photoionized gas, in the specific case of a CDM model with a cosmological constant. The photoionized gas has a natural minimal scale of collapse, the Jeans scale ($m_{b,J}\simeq 10^{9}$M$_\odot$). We find that low column density ($\nhi \le 10^{14}\cm^{-2}$) lines originate in regions…
The dominating reionization source in the young universe has yet to be identified. Possible candidates include metal poor starburst dwarf galaxies of which the Blue Compact Galaxy Haro 11 may represent a local counterpart. Using the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) we obtained spectra of Haro 11 to search for leaking ionizing radiation. A weak signal shortwards of the Lyman break is identified as Lyman continuum (LyC) emission escaping from the ongoing starburst. From profile fitting to weak metal lines we derive column densities of the low ionization species. Adopting a metallici…
A significant fraction of the high-redshift galaxies show strong Lyman emission lines. For redshifts z>5, most known galaxies belong to this class. However, so far not much is known about the physical structure and nature of these objects. Our aim is to analyse the Lyman alpha emission in a sample of high-redshift UV-continuum selected galaxies and to derive the physical conditions that determine the Lyman alpha profile and the line strength. VLT/FORS spectra with a resolution of R ~ 2000 of 16 galaxies in the redshift range of z = 2.7 to 5 are presented. The observed Lyman alpha profiles are …
We have derived far-ultraviolet extinction curves for stars in the Galaxy, LMC, and SMC, from spectra of pairs of stars observed with the FUSE satellite, matched in spectral type and with different amounts of reddening. The stars were observed for other FUSE programs and were not selected for large reddening. Thus, uncertainties in the derived extinction curves depend on the photometric data. In the case of strongly reddened stars from the Galaxy, the strong H2 absorption at the shortest wavelengths is an additional complication. These initial results indicate that there is a family of extinct…
We report initial results for spectroscopic observations of candidates of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) at $z\sim5$ in a region centered on the Hubble Deep Field-North by using the Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph attached to the Subaru Telescope. Eight objects with $I_C\leq25.0$ mag, including one AGN, are confirmed to be at $4.5<z<5.2$. The rest-frame UV spectra of seven LBGs commonly show no or weak Lyalpha emission line (rest-frame equivalent width of 0-10Å) and relatively strong low-ionization interstellar metal absorption lines of SiII $λ$1260, OI+SiII $λ$1303, and CII $λ$1334 (mean re…
We present an intermediate resolution, high S/N spectrum of the z = 2.7268 galaxy MS 1512-cB58, obtained with LRIS on the Keck I telescope and covering the rest frame far-UV from 1150 to 1930 A. Gravitational lensing by a foreground cluster boosts the flux from cB58 by a factor of about 30 and provides the opportunity for a first quantitative study of the physical properties of star forming galaxies at high redshift. Our main results are as follows. The ultraviolet spectral properties of cB58 are remarkably similar to those of nearby star forming galaxies. The P-Cygni profiles of CIV and NV ar…
We present spatially-resolved, rest-frame optical spectroscopy of a z~3 Lyman-break galaxy (LBG), Q0347-383 C5, obtained with SINFONI on the VLT. This galaxy, among the ~10% brightest LBGs, is only the second z~3 LBG observed with an integral-field spectrograph. It was first described by Pettini et al. (2001), who obtained WFPC2 F702W imaging and longslit spectroscopy in the K-band. We find that the emission line morphology is dominated by two unresolved blobs at a projected distance of ~5 kpc with a velocity offset of ~33 km s^-1. Velocity dispersions suggest that each blob has a mass of ~10^…
