2008/07/11 by Marcin Sawicki, Brian C. Lemaux, B. C. Lemaux +8 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Component (thermodynamics) #Computer science #Database #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Line (geometry) #Narrowband #Optics #Physics #Quality (philosophy) #Redshift #Sky #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/591779
Accepted for publication in ApJ
arxiv created 2008/07/11 · openalex publication_date 2008/10/31 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present the first results of a search for Lyα emitters (LAEs) in the DEEP2 spectroscopic database that uses a search technique that is different from but complementary to traditional narrowband imaging surveys. We have visually inspected ~20% of the available DEEP2 spectroscopic data and have found nine high-quality LAEs with clearly asymmetric line profiles and an additional 10 objects of lower quality, some of which may also be LAEs. Our survey is most sensitive to LAEs at z = 4.4–4.9 and that is indeed where all but one of our high-quality objects are found. We find the number density of our spectroscopically discovered LAEs to be consistent with those found in narrowband imaging searches. The combined, averaged spectrum of our nine high-quality objects is well fit by a two-component model, with a second, lower amplitude component redshifted by ~420 km s −1 with respect to the primary Lyα line, consistent with large-scale outflows from these objects. We conclude by discussing the advantages and future prospects of blank-sky spectroscopic surveys for high- z LAEs.