Abstract
We report a search for z {approx} 6.96 Ly{alpha} emitters (LAEs) using a narrowband filter, centered at 9680 A with the Inamori-Magellan Area Camera and Spectrograph instrument on the Magellan telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We obtain a sample of six LAE candidates of luminosity {approx}10{sup 42} erg s{sup -1} in a total area of 465 arcmin{sup 2} corresponding to a comoving volume of {approx}72,000 Mpc{sup 3}. From this result, we derive a Ly{alpha} luminosity function (LF) at z {approx} 6.96 and compare our sample with the only z {approx} 6.96 LAE spectroscopically confirmed to date. We find no evolution between the z = 5.7 and z {approx} 7 Ly{alpha} LFs if a majority of our candidates are confirmed. Spectroscopic confirmation for this sample will enable more robust conclusions.
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