We report the observation of a further asymmetric, extended Lyman alpha emitting halo at z=2.63, from our ultra-deep, long-slit spectroscopic survey of faint high redshift emitters, undertaken with Magellan LDSS3 in the GOODS-S field. The Lya emission, detected over more than 30 kpc, is spatially coincident with a concentration of galaxies visible in deep broad-band imaging. While these faint galaxies without spectroscopic redshifts cannot with certainty be associated with one another or with the Lya emission, there are a number of compelling reasons why they very probably form a Milky Way halo-mass group at the Lya redshift. A filamentary structure, possibly consisting of Lya emission at very high equivalent width, and evidence for disturbed stellar populations, suggest that the properties of the emitting region reflect ongoing galaxy assembly, with recent galaxy mergers and star formation occurring in the group. Hence, the Lya provides unique insights into what is probably a key mode of galaxy formation at high redshifts. The Lya emission may be powered by cooling radiation or spatially extended star formation in the halo, but is unlikely to be fluorescence driven by either an AGN or one of the galaxies. The spatial profile of the emission is conspicuously different from that of typical Lya emitters or Lyman break galaxies, which is consistent with the picture that extended emission of this kind represents a different stage in the galaxy formation process. Faint, extended Lya emitters such as these may be lower-mass analogues of the brighter Lya blobs. Our observations provide further, circumstantial evidence that galaxy mergers may promote the production and / or escape of ionizing radiation, and that the halos of interacting galaxies may be significant sources for ionizing photons during the epoch of reionization.
The birth of the intracluster medium: the evolution of multiphase gas and Lyman-$α$ haloes in a simulated $z\sim3$ protocluster
University of Nottingham（诺丁汉大学）；The University of Texas at Dallas（德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校）；Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik（马克斯·普朗克天体物理学研究所）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）
Lyman-alpha Blobs Like Company : The Discovery of A Candidate 100 kpc Lyman-alpha Blob Near to A Radio Galaxy with A Giant Lyman-alpha halo, B3 J2330+3927 at z=3.1
