1999/04/14 by Hsiao‐Wen Chen, Hsiao-Wen Chen, Kenneth M. Lanzetta +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/9904161
7 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Nature (15 April 99)
arxiv created 1999/04/14 · openalex publication_date 1999/04/14 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The detection and identification of distant galaxies is a prominent goal of observational cosmology because distant galaxies are seen as they were in the distant past and hence probe early galaxy formation, due to the cosmologically significant light travel time. We have sought to identify distant galaxies in very deep spectroscopy by combining a new spectrum extraction technique with photometric and spectroscopic analysis techniques. Here we report the identification of a galaxy of redshift z = 6.68, which is the most distant object ever identified. The spectrum of the galaxy is characterized by an abrupt discontinuity at wavelength λ≈ 9300 Å, which we interpret as the \lya decrement (produced by intervening Hydrogen absorption), and by an emission line at wavelength λ≈ 9334, which we interpret as \lya. The galaxy is relatively bright, and the ultraviolet luminosity density contributed by the galaxy alone is almost ten times the value measured at z ≈ 3.