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arXiv 1006.3071astro-ph.CO
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红移z=7.7处莱曼α发射体的亮度函数

The Luminosity Function of Lyman alpha Emitters at Redshift z=7.7

Vithal Tilvi, James E. Rhoads, Pascale Hibon, Sangeeta Malhotra, Junxian Wang, Sylvain Veilleux, Rob Swaters, Ron Probst, Hannah Krug, Steven L. Finkelstein, Mark Dickinson

摘要:

Lyman α(Lya)发射线在中性星系际介质(IGM)中会发生衰减。因此,Lya发射体在高红移处的可见度可以作为50%水平上再电离的有价值的探针。我们提出了一个成像搜索z=7.7 Lya发射星系使用超窄带滤波器(滤波器宽度= 9A)的NEWFIRM成像仪在基特峰国家天文台。我们在1.4 x 10^4 Mpc^3的测量体积中发现了四个候选的Lya发射体,其线通量亮度超过6 x 10 ^-18 erg/cm^2/s(2”孔径中为5 sigma)。我们还进行了一个详细的蒙特卡罗模拟,结合仪器的影响,以估计我们的调查中预期的Lya发射体的数量,并发现,我们应该期望检测到一个Lya发射体,假设一个非演变的Lya光度函数(LF)之间的z=6.5和z=7.7。即使目前的候选者之一在光谱上被确认为z~ 8Lya发射体,也将表明Lya LF从z=3.1到z~8没有显著的演变。虽然坚定的结论将需要光谱确认和更大的调查,以提高星系的数量计数,我们成功地证明了敏感的近红外(1.06微米)窄带搜索的可行性,使用定制的过滤器,旨在避免OH发射线,构成大部分的天空背景。

英文摘要:

Lyman alpha (Lya) emission lines should be attenuated in a neutral intergalactic medium (IGM). Therefore the visibility of Lya emitters at high redshifts can serve as a valuable probe of reionization at about the 50% level. We present an imaging search for z=7.7 Lya emitting galaxies using an ultra-narrowband filter (filter width= 9A) on the NEWFIRM imager at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. We found four candidate Lya emitters in a survey volume of 1.4 x 10^4 Mpc^3, with a line flux brighter than 6x10^-18 erg/cm^2/s (5 sigma in 2" aperture). We also performed a detailed Monte-Carlo simulation incorporating the instrumental effects to estimate the expected number of Lya emitters in our survey, and found that we should expect to detect one Lya emitter, assuming a non-evolving Lya luminosity function (LF) between z=6.5 and z=7.7. Even if one of the present candidates is spectroscopically confirmed as a z~8 Lya emitter, it would indicate that there is no significant evolution of the Lya LF from z=3.1 to z~8. While firm conclusions would need both spectroscopic confirmations and larger surveys to boost the number counts of galaxies, we successfully demonstrate the feasibility of sensitive near-infrared (1.06 um) narrow-band searches using custom filters designed to avoid the OH emission lines that make up most of the sky background.

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