| 1. |
- Duval, Florent, et al.
(författare)
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Lyman alpha line and continuum radiative transfer in a clumpy interstellar medium
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 562, s. A52-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. We study the effects of an inhomogeneous interstellar medium (ISM) on the strength and the shape of the Lyman alpha (Ly alpha) line in starburst galaxies. Methods. Using our 3D Monte Carlo Ly alpha radiation transfer code, we have studied the radiative transfer of Ly alpha, UV, and optical continuum photons in homogeneous and clumpy shells of neutral hydrogen and dust surrounding a central source. Our simulations predict the Ly alpha and continuum escape fraction, the Ly alpha equivalent width EW(Ly alpha), the Ly alpha line profile, and their dependence on the geometry of the gas distribution and the main input physical parameters. Results. The ISM clumpiness is found to have a strong impact on the Ly alpha line radiative transfer, leading to a strong dependence of the emergent features of the Ly alpha line (escape fraction, EW(Ly alpha)) on the ISM morphology. Although a clumpy and dusty ISM appears more transparent to radiation (both line and continuum) compared to an equivalent homogeneous ISM of equal dust optical depth, we find that the Ly alpha photons are, in general, still more attenuated than UV continuum radiation. As a consequence, the observed equivalent width of the Ly alpha line (EWobs(Ly alpha)) is lower than the intrinsic one (EWint(Ly alpha)) for nearly all clumpy ISM configurations being considered. There are, however, special conditions under which Ly alpha photons escape more easily than the continuum, resulting in an enhanced EWobs(Ly alpha). The requirement for this to happen is that the ISM is almost static (galactic outflows <= 200 km s(-1)), extremely clumpy (with density contrasts >10(7) in HI between clumps and the interclump medium), and very dusty (E(B - V) > 0.30). When these conditions are fulfilled, the emergent Ly alpha line profile generally shows no velocity shift and little asymmetry. Otherwise, the Ly alpha line profile is very similar to the one expected for homogeneous media. Conclusions. Given the asymmetry and velocity shifts generally observed in star-forming galaxies with Ly alpha emission, we therefore conclude that clumping is unlikely to significantly enhance their relative Ly alpha/UV transmission.
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| 2. |
- Hayes, Matthew, et al.
(författare)
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THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE : EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 765:2, s. L27-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on new imaging observations of the Lyman alpha emission line (Ly alpha), performed with the Hubble Space Telescope, that comprise the backbone of the Lyman alpha Reference Sample. We present images of 14 starburst galaxies at redshifts 0.028 < z < 0.18 in continuum-subtracted Ly alpha, H alpha, and the far ultraviolet continuum. We show that Ly alpha is emitted on scales that systematically exceed those of the massive stellar population and recombination nebulae: as measured by the Petrosian 20% radius, RP20, Ly alpha radii are larger than those of H alpha by factors ranging from 1 to 3.6, with an average of 2.4. The average ratio of Ly alpha-to-FUV radii is 2.9. This suggests that much of the Ly alpha light is pushed to large radii by resonance scattering. Defining the Relative Petrosian Extension of Ly alpha compared to H alpha, xi(Ly alpha) = R-P20(Ly alpha)/R-P20(H alpha), we find xi(Ly alpha) to be uncorrelated with total Ly alpha luminosity. However, xi(Ly alpha) is strongly correlated with quantities that scale with dust content, in the sense that a low dust abundance is a necessary requirement (although not the only one) in order to spread Ly alpha photons throughout the interstellar medium and drive a large extended Ly alpha halo.
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| 3. |
- Hayes, Matthew, et al.
(författare)
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THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE. II. HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IMAGING RESULTS, INTEGRATED PROPERTIES, AND TRENDS
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 782:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report new results regarding the Ly alpha output of galaxies, derived from the Lyman Alpha Reference Sample, and focused on Hubble Space Telescope imaging. For 14 galaxies we present intensity images in Ly alpha, H alpha, and UV, and maps of H alpha/H beta, Ly alpha equivalent width (EW), and Ly alpha/H alpha. We present Ly alpha and UV radial light profiles and show they are well-fitted by Sersic profiles, but Ly alpha profiles show indices systematically lower than those of the UV (n approximate to 1-2 instead of greater than or similar to 4). This reveals a general lack of the central concentration in Ly alpha that is ubiquitous in the UV. Photometric growth curves increase more slowly for Ly alpha than the far ultraviolet, showing that small apertures may underestimate the EW. For most galaxies, however, flux and EW curves flatten by radii approximate to 10 kpc, suggesting that if placed at high-z only a few of our galaxies would suffer from large flux losses. We compute global properties of the sample in large apertures, and show total Ly alpha luminosities to be independent of all other quantities. Normalized Ly alpha throughput, however, shows significant correlations: escape is found to be higher in galaxies of lower star formation rate, dust content, mass, and nebular quantities that suggest harder ionizing continuum and lower metallicity. Six galaxies would be selected as high-z Ly alpha emitters, based upon their luminosity and EW. We discuss the results in the context of high-z Ly alpha and UV samples. A few galaxies have EWs above 50 angstrom, and one shows f(esc)(Ly alpha) of 80%; such objects have not previously been reported at low-z.
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| 4. |
- Laursen, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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ON THE (NON-) ENHANCEMENT OF THE Ly alpha EQUIVALENT WIDTH BY A MULTIPHASE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 766:2, s. 124-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been suggested that radiative transfer effects may explain the unusually high equivalent widths (EWs) of the Ly alpha line, observed occasionally from starburst galaxies, especially at high redshifts. If the dust is locked up inside high-density clouds dispersed in an empty intercloud medium, the Ly alpha photons could scatter off of the surfaces of the clouds, effectively having their journey confined to the dustless medium. The continuum radiation, on the other hand, does not scatter, and would thus be subject to absorption inside the clouds. This scenario is routinely invoked when Ly alpha EWs higher than what is expected theoretically are observed, although the ideal conditions under which the results are derived usually are not considered. Here we systematically examine the relevant physical parameters in this idealized framework, testing whether any astrophysically realistic scenarios may lead to such an effect. It is found that although clumpiness indeed facilitates the escape of Ly alpha, it is highly unlikely that any real interstellar media should result in a preferential escape of Ly alpha over continuum radiation. Other possible causes are discussed, and it is concluded that the observed high EWs are more likely to be caused by cooling radiation from cold accretion and/or anisotropic escape of the Ly alpha radiation.
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| 5. |
- Zackrisson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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The Hubble Space Telescope colours of high-redshift Population III galaxies with strong Lya emission
- 2011
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925. ; 418:1, s. L104-L108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Population III (pop III) galaxies, made partly or exclusively of metal-free stars, are predicted to exist at high redshifts and may produce very strong Lya emission. A substantial fraction of these Lya photons are likely absorbed in the intergalactic medium at z > 6, but recent simulations suggest that significant Lya emission may be detectable up to z similar to 8.5, i.e. well into the reionization epoch. Here, we argue that high-redshift pop III galaxies with strong Lya emission can be identified in Hubble Space Telescope imaging data because of their unusual colours. We quantify this effect in some of the filters used in Y-band dropout searches for galaxies at z approximate to 8 and find that pop III galaxies with high Lya fluxes may exhibit much bluer J-H colours at z approximate to 8-10 than any normal type of galaxy at these redshifts. This colour signature can arise even if pop III stars account for as little as similar to 10(-3) to 10(-2) of the stellar mass in these galaxies. Some of the anomalously blue objects reported in current Y-band dropout samples do in fact meet the colour criteria for Lya-emitting pop III galaxies.
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| 6. |
- Östlin, Göran, et al.
(författare)
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THE Ly alpha REFERENCE SAMPLE. I. SURVEY OUTLINE AND FIRST RESULTS FOR MARKARIAN 259
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 797:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Ly alpha Reference Sample (LARS) is a substantial program with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that provides a sample of local universe laboratory galaxies in which to study the detailed astrophysics of the visibility and strength of the Ly alpha line of neutral hydrogen. Ly alpha is the dominant spectral line in use for characterizing high-redshift (z) galaxies. This paper presents an overview of the survey, its selection function, and HST imaging observations. The sample was selected from the combined GALEX+Sloan Digital Sky Survey catalog at z = 0.028-0.19, in order to allow Ly alpha to be captured with combinations of long-pass filters in the Solar Blind Channel (SBC) of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) onboard HST. In addition, LARS utilizes H alpha and H beta narrowband and u, b, i broadband imaging with ACS and the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). In order to study galaxies in which large numbers of Ly alpha photons are produced (whether or not they escape), we demanded an H alpha equivalent width W(H alpha) >= 100 angstrom. The final sample of 14 galaxies covers far-UV (FUV, lambda similar to 1500 angstrom) luminosities that overlap with those of high-z Ly alpha emitters (LAEs) and Lyman break galaxies (LBGs), making LARS a valid comparison sample. We present the reduction steps used to obtain the Ly alpha images, including our LARS eXtraction software (LaXs), which utilizes pixel-by-pixel spectral synthesis fitting of the energy distribution to determine and subtract the continuum at Ly alpha. We demonstrate that the use of SBC long-pass-filter combinations increase the signal-to-noise ratio by an order of magnitude compared to the nominal Ly alpha filter available in SBC. To exemplify the science potential of LARS, we also present some first results for a single galaxy, Mrk 259 (LARS #1). This irregular galaxy shows bright and extended (indicative of resonance scattering) but strongly asymmetric Ly alpha emission. Spectroscopy from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board HST centered on the brightest UV knot shows a moderate outflow in the neutral interstellar medium (probed by low ionization stage absorption features) and Ly alpha emission with an asymmetric profile. Radiative transfer modeling is able to reproduce the essential features of the Ly alpha line profile and confirms the presence of an outflow. From the integrated photometry we measure an Ly alpha luminosity of L-Ly alpha= 1.3x10(42) erg s(-1) an equivalent width W(Ly alpha) = 45 angstrom and an FUV absolute magnitude M-FUV = -19.2 (AB). Mrk 259 would hence be detectable in high-z Ly alpha and LBG surveys. The total Ly alpha escape fraction is 12%. This number is higher than the low-z average, but similar to that at z > 4, demonstrating that LARS provides a valid comparison sample for high-z galaxy studies.
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