Lyα Equivalent Width Research Articles

ODIN: Improved Narrowband Lyα Emitter Selection Techniques for z = 2.4, 3.1, and 4.5

Lyman-alpha-emitting galaxies (LAEs) are typically young, low-mass, star-forming galaxies with little extinction from interstellar dust. Their low dust attenuation allows their Lyα emission to shine brightly in spectroscopic and photometric observations, providing an observational window into the high-redshift Universe. Narrowband surveys reveal large, uniform samples of LAEs at specific redshifts that probe large-scale structure and the temporal evolution of galaxy properties. The One-hundred-deg2 DECam Imaging in Narrowbands (ODIN) utilizes three custom-made narrowband filters on the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) to discover LAEs at three equally spaced periods in cosmological history. In this paper, we introduce the hybrid-weighted double-broadband continuum estimation technique, which yields improved estimation of Lyα equivalent widths. Using this method, we discover 6032, 5691, and 4066 LAE candidates at z = 2.4, 3.1, and 4.5 in the extended COSMOS field (∼9 deg2). We find that [O ii] emitters are a minimal contaminant in our LAE samples, but that interloping Green Pea–like [O iii] emitters are important for our redshift 4.5 sample. We introduce an innovative method for identifying [O ii] and [O iii] emitters via a combination of narrowband excess and galaxy colors, enabling their study as separate classes of objects. We present scaled median stacked spectral energy distributions for each galaxy sample, revealing the overall success of our selection methods. We also calculate rest-frame Lyα equivalent widths for our LAE samples and find that the EW distributions are best fit by exponential functions with scale lengths of w 0 = 53 ± 1, 65 ± 1, and 59 ± 1 Å, respectively.

Peering into cosmic reionization: Lyα visibility evolution from galaxies at z = 4.5–8.5 with JWST

The resonant scattering interaction between Lyα photons and neutral hydrogen implies that a partially neutral intergalactic medium has the ability to significantly impact the detectability of Lyα emission in galaxies. Thus, the redshift evolution of the Lyα equivalent width distribution of galaxies offers a key observational probe of the degree of ionization during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Previous in-depth investigations at z ≥ 7 were limited by ground-based instrument capabilities. We present an extensive study of the evolution of Lyα emission from galaxies at 4.5 < z < 8.5, observed as part of the CEERS and JADES surveys in the JWST NIRSpec/PRISM configuration. The sample consists of 235 galaxies in the redshift range of 4.1 < z < 9.9. We identified 65 of them as Lyα emitters. We first measured the Lyα escape fractions from Lyα to Balmer line flux ratios and explored the correlations with the inferred galaxies’ physical properties, which are similar to those found at lower redshift. We also investigated the possible connection between the escape of Lyα photons and the inferred escape fractions of LyC photons obtained from indirect indicators, finding no secure correlation. We then analyzed the redshift evolution of the Lyα emitter fraction, finding lower average values at z = 5 and 6 compared to previous ground-based observations. At z = 7, the GOODS-S results are aligned with previous findings, whereas the visibility in the EGS field appears to be enhanced. This discrepancy in Lyα visibility between the two fields could potentially be attributed to the presence of early reionized regions in the EGS. Such a broad variance is also expected in the Cosmic Dawn II radiation-hydrodynamical simulation. The average Lyα emitter fraction obtained from the CEERS+JADES data continues to increase from z = 5 to 7, ultimately declining at z = 8. This suggests a scenario in which the ending phase of the EoR is characterized by ∼1 pMpc ionized bubbles around a high fraction of moderately bright galaxies. Finally, we characterize such two ionized regions found in the EGS at z = 7.18 and z = 7.49 by estimating the radius of the ionized bubble that each of the spectroscopically-confirmed members could have created.

Lyα Emission at z = 7–13: Clear Evolution of Lyα Equivalent Width Indicating a Late Cosmic Reionization History

We present the evolution of Lyα emission derived from 53 galaxies at z = 6.6–13.2, which have been identified by multiple JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy programs of Early Release Science, General Observer, Director's Discretionary Time, and Guaranteed Time Observations. These galaxies fall on the star formation main sequence and are typical star-forming galaxies with UV magnitudes of −22.5 ≤ M UV ≤ −17.0. We find that 15 out of 53 galaxies show Lyα emission at the >3σ level, and we obtain Lyα equivalent width (EW) measurements and stringent 3σ upper limits for the 15 and 38 galaxies, respectively. Confirming that Lyα velocity offsets and line widths of our galaxies are comparable to those of low-redshift Lyα emitters, we investigate the redshift evolution of the Lyα EW. We find that Lyα EWs statistically decrease toward high redshifts on the Lyα EW versus the M UV plane for various probability distributions of the uncertainties. We then evaluate neutral hydrogen fractions x H I with the redshift evolution of the Lyα EW and the cosmic reionization simulation results on the basis of a Bayesian inference framework, and obtain x H I < 0.79, = 0.62 − 0.36 + 0.15 ?> , and 0.93 − 0.07 + 0.04 ?> at z ∼ 7, 8, and 9–13, respectively. These moderately large x H I values are consistent with the Planck cosmic microwave background optical depth measurement and previous x H I constraints from galaxy and QSO Lyα damping wing absorption and strongly indicate a late reionization history. Such a late reionization history suggests that major sources of reionization would emerge late and be hosted by moderately massive halos compared with the widely accepted picture of abundant low-mass objects for the sources of reionization.

Unveiling Luminous Lyα Emitters at z ≈ 6 through JWST/NIRCam Imaging in the COSMOS Field

We study a sample of 14 spectroscopically confirmed Lyα emitters (LAEs) in the late era of reionization (at redshift z ≈ 6) based on the JWST/NIRCam imaging data set. These LAEs with high Lyα luminosity of L(Lyα) ∼1042.4–1043.4 erg s−1 have been covered by the (ongoing) COSMOS-Web survey over 0.28 deg2 in four NIRCam bands (F115W, F150W, F277W, and F444W). With JWST/NIRCam imaging, we determine the UV continua with M UV ranging from −20.5 to −18.5 mag. The UV slopes have a median value of β ≈ −2.35, and the steepest slopes can reach β < −3. Under the excellent spatial resolution of JWST, we identify three objects in the sample as potential merging/interacting systems. The 14 LAEs (and their components) are compact in morphology, residing substantially below the mass–size relation of high-z galaxies. We further investigate their physical properties, including the stellar mass (M *) and star formation rates (SFRs). Most of the LAEs lie on the SFR–M * main-sequence relation, while two of them, featured as “little red dots,” likely host active galactic nuclei (AGNs), implying a ∼10% AGN fraction. Moreover, we reveal that a new correlation may exist between Lyα equivalent width and the offset between Lyα and UV emission (Δd Lyα ), with a median Δd Lyα ∼ 1 kpc. This could be explained by the Lyα radiative transfer process in both the interstellar medium and circumgalactic medium. The results usher in a new era of detailed analysis on high-z LAEs with the JWST capability.

JADES: The emergence and evolution of Lyα emission and constraints on the intergalactic medium neutral fraction

The rest-frame UV recombination emission line Lyα can be powered by ionising photons from young massive stars in star-forming galaxies, but the fact that it can be resonantly scattered by neutral gas complicates its interpretation. For reionisation-era galaxies, a neutral intergalactic medium will scatter Lyα from the line of sight, making Lyα a useful probe of the neutral fraction evolution. Here, we explore Lyα in JWST/NIRSpec spectra from the ongoing JADES programme, which targets hundreds of galaxies in the well-studied GOODS-S and GOODS-N fields. These sources are UV-faint (−20.4 &lt; MUV &lt; −16.4) and thus represent a poorly explored class of galaxy. We fitted the low spectral resolution spectra (R ∼ 100) of a subset of 84 galaxies in GOODS-S with zspec &gt; 5.6 (as derived with optical lines) with line and continuum models to search for significant line emission. Through exploration of the R100 data, we find evidence for Lyα in 17 sources. This sample allowed us to place observational constraints on the fraction of galaxies with Lyα emission in the redshift range 5.6 &lt; z &lt; 7.5, with a decrease from z = 6 to z = 7. We also find a positive correlation between the Lyα equivalent width and MUV, as seen in other samples. We used these results to estimate the neutral gas fraction at z ∼ 7, and our estimates are in agreement with previous results (XHI ∼ 0.5 − 0.9).

The Magellan M2FS Spectroscopic Survey of High-redshift Galaxies: The Brightest Lyman-break Galaxies at z ∼ 6

We present a study of a sample of 45 spectroscopically confirmed, UV luminous galaxies at z ∼ 6. They were selected as bright Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) using deep multiband optical images in more than 2 deg2 of the sky, and subsequently identified via their strong Lyα emission. The majority of these LBGs span an absolute UV magnitude range from −22.0 to −20.5 mag with Lyα equivalent width (EW) between ∼10 and ∼200 Å, representing the most luminous galaxies at z ∼ 6 in terms of both UV continuum emission and Lyα line emission. We model the spectral energy distributions of 10 LBGs that have deep infrared observations from Hubble Space Telescope, JWST, and/or Spitzer, and find that they have a wide range of stellar masses and ages. They also have high star formation rates ranging from a few tens to a few hundreds of solar mass per year. Five of the LBGs have JWST or HST images, and four of them show compact morphology in these images, including one that is roughly consistent with a point source, suggesting that UV luminous galaxies at this redshift are generally compact. The fraction of our photometrically selected LBGs with strong Lyα emission (EW > 25 Å) is about 0.2, which is consistent with previous results and supports a moderate evolution of the intergalactic medium opacity at the end of cosmic reionization. Using deep X-ray images, we do not find evidence of strong active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in these galaxies, but our constraint is loose, and we are not able to rule out the possibility of any weak AGN activity.

JWST spectroscopy of z ∼ 5–8 UV-selected galaxies: new constraints on the evolution of the Ly α escape fraction in the reionization era

ABSTRACT We describe JWST/NIRSpec prism measurements of Ly α emission in z ≳ 5 galaxies. We identify Ly α detections in 10 out of 69 galaxies with robust rest-optical emission-line redshift measurements at 5 ≤ z &amp;lt; 7 in the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) and DDT-2750 observations of the Extended Groth Strip field. Galaxies at z ≃ 6 with faint continuum (F150W=27–29 mag) are found with extremely large rest-frame Ly α equivalent widths (EWs; ranging up to 286 Å). Likely Ly α detections are also seen in two new z &amp;gt; 7 galaxies (z = 7.49 and 7.17) from the second epoch of CEERS observations, both showing large Ly α EWs that likely indicate significant transmission through the intergalactic medium (IGM). We measure high Ly α escape fractions in the 12 Ly α emitters in our sample (median 0.28), two of which show $f_{\rm esc}^{ {\rm Ly}\alpha }$ near unity (&amp;gt;0.80). We find that $50_{-11}^{+11}$ per cent of z ≃ 6 galaxies with [O iii] + H β EW&amp;gt;1000 Å have $f_{\rm esc}^{ {\rm Ly}\alpha }$ &amp;gt;0.2, consistent with the fractions found in lower redshift samples with matched [O iii] + H β EWs. While uncertainties are still significant, we find that only $10_{-5}^{+9}$ per cent of z &amp;gt; 7 galaxies with similarly strong rest optical emission lines show such large $f_{\rm esc}^{ {\rm Ly}\alpha }$, as may be expected if IGM attenuation of Ly α increases towards higher redshifts. We identify photometric galaxy overdensities near the z ≳ 7 Ly α emitters, potentially providing the ionizing flux necessary to create large ionized sightlines that facilitate Ly α transmission. Finally, we investigate the absence of Ly α emission in a comparable (and spectroscopically confirmed) galaxy overdensity at z = 7.88 in the Abell 2744 field, discussing new prism spectra of the field obtained with the UNCOVER program.

MAMMOTH-Subaru. III. Lyα Halo Identified by Stacking ∼3300 Lyα Emitters at z = 2.2–2.3

In this paper, we present a Lyα halo (LAH) identified by stacking ∼3300 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2–2.3. We carry out imaging observations and data reduction with Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam. Our total survey area is ∼12 deg2 and the imaging depths are 25.5–27.0 mag. Using the imaging data, we select 1240 and 2101 LAE candidates at z = 2.2 and 2.3, respectively. We carry out spectroscopic observations of our LAE candidates and data reduction with Magellan/IMACS to estimate the contamination rate of our LAE candidates. We find that the contamination rate of our sample is low (8%). We stack our LAE candidates with a median stacking method to identify the LAH at z = 2. We show that our LAH is detected until ∼100 kpc at the 2σ significance level and likely extended to ∼200 kpc at a surface brightness level of ∼10−20 erg s−1 cm−2 arcsec−2. Compared to those of previous studies, our LAH is brighter at radii of ∼25–100 kpc, which is not likely caused by the contamination in our sample but by the different redshifts, fields, and selection methods instead. To investigate how central galaxies affect surrounding LAHs, we divide our LAEs into subsamples based on the Lyα luminosity (L Lyα ), rest-frame Lyα equivalent width (EW0), and UV magnitude (M uv). We stack the subsamples and find that higher L Lyα , smaller EW0, and brighter M uv cause more extended halos. Our results suggest that more massive LAEs generally have more extended LAHs.

DIISC-III. Signatures of Stellar Disk Growth in Nearby Galaxies

We explore the growth of the stellar disks in 14 nearby spiral galaxies as part of the Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium (DIISC) survey. We study the radial distribution of specific star formation rates (sSFRs) and investigate the ratio of the difference in the outer and inner sSFRs (ΔsSFR = sSFRout – sSFRin) of the disk and the total sSFR, ΔsSFR/sSFR, to quantify disk growth. We find ΔsSFR/sSFR and the H i gas fraction to show a mild correlation of Spearman’s ρ = 0.30, indicating that star formation and disk growth are likely to proceed outward in galactic disks with high H i gas fractions. The H i gas fractions and ΔsSFR/sSFR of the galaxies also increase with the distance to the nearest L ⋆ neighbor, suggesting that galaxies are likely to sustain the cold gas in their interstellar medium and exhibit inside-out growth in isolated environments. However, the H i content in their circumgalactic medium (CGM), probed by the Lyα equivalent width (W Lyα ) excess, is observed to be suppressed in isolated environments, as is apparent from the strong anticorrelation between the W Lyα excess and the distance to the fifth nearest L ⋆ neighbor (Spearman’s ρ = −0.62). As expected, W Lyα is also found to be suppressed in cluster galaxies. We find no relation between the W Lyα excess of the detected CGM absorber and ΔsSFR/sSFR, implying that the enhancement and suppression of the circumgalactic H i gas does not affect the direction in which star formation proceeds in a galactic disk or vice versa.

Lyman Continuum Emission from Spectroscopically Confirmed Lyα Emitters at z ∼ 3.1

We present a study of Lyman continuum (LyC) emission in a sample of ∼150 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z ≈ 3.1 in the Subaru-XMM Deep Survey field. These LAEs were previously selected using the narrowband technique and spectroscopically confirmed with Lyα equivalent widths (EWs) ≥ 45 Å. We obtain deep UV images using a custom intermediate-band filter U J that covers a wavelength range of 3330 ∼ 3650 Å, corresponding to 810 ∼ 890 Å in the rest frame. We detect five individual LyC galaxy candidates in the U J band, and their escape fractions (f esc) of LyC photons are roughly between 40% and 80%. This supports a previous finding that a small fraction of galaxies may have very high f esc. We find that the f esc values of the five LyC galaxies are not apparently correlated with other galaxy properties such as Lyα luminosity and EW, UV luminosity and slope, and star formation rate (SFR). This is partly due to the fact that these galaxies only represent a small fraction (∼3%) of our LAE sample. For the remaining LAEs that are not detected in U J, we stack their U J-band images and constrain their average f esc. The upper limit of the average f esc value is about 16%, consistent with the results in the literature. Compared with the non-LyC LAEs, the LyC LAEs tend to have higher Lyα luminosities, Lyα EWs, and SFRs, but their UV continuum slopes are similar to those of other galaxies.

JWST/NIRSpec Measurements of Extremely Low Metallicities in High Equivalent Width Lyα Emitters

Deep Very Large Telescope/MUSE optical integral field spectroscopy has recently revealed an abundant population of ultra-faint galaxies (M UV ≈ −15; 0.01 L ⋆) at z = 2.9−6.7 due to their strong Lyα emission with no detectable continuum. The implied Lyα equivalent widths can be in excess of 100–200 Å, challenging existing models of normal star formation and indicating extremely young ages, small stellar masses, and a very low amount of metal enrichment. We use JWST/NIRSpec’s microshutter array to follow up 45 of these galaxies (11 hr in G235M/F170LP and 7 hr in G395M/F290LP), as well as 45 lower-equivalent width Lyα emitters. Our spectroscopy covers the range 1.7−5.1 micron in order to target strong optical emission lines: Hα, [O iii], Hβ, and [N II]. Individual measurements as well as stacks reveal line ratios consistent with a metal-poor nature (2%−40% Z ⊙, depending on the calibration). The galaxies with the highest equivalent widths of Lyα, in excess of 90 Å, have lower [N II]/Hα (1.9σ) and [O iii]/Hβ (2.2σ) ratios than those with lower equivalent widths, implying lower gas-phase metallicities at a combined significance of 2.4σ. This implies a selection based on Lyα equivalent width is an efficient technique for identifying younger, less chemically enriched systems.

Identifying Lyα emitter candidates with Random Forest: Learning from galaxies in the CANDELS survey

The physical processes that make a galaxy a Lyman alpha emitter have been extensively studied over the past 25 yr. However, the correlations between physical and morphological properties of galaxies and the strength of the Lyα emission line are still highly debated. Here, we investigate the correlations between the rest-frame Lyα equivalent width and stellar mass, star formation rate, dust reddening, metallicity, age, half-light semi-major axis, Sérsic index, and projected axis ratio in a sample of 1578 galaxies in the redshift range of 2 ≤ z ≤ 7.9 from the GOODS-S, UDS, and COSMOS fields. From the large sample of Lyα emitters (LAEs) in the dataset, we find that LAEs are typically common main sequence (MS) star-forming galaxies that show a stellar mass ≤109 M⊙, star formation rate ≤ 100.5 M⊙ yr−1, E(B − V)≤0.2, and half-light semi-major axis ≤1 kpc. Building on these findings, we have developed a new method based on a random forest (RF) machine learning (ML) classifier to select galaxies with the highest probability of being Lyα emitters. When applied to a population in the redshift range z ∈ [2.5, 4.5], our classifier holds a (80 ± 2)% accuracy and (73 ± 4)% precision. At higher redshifts (z ∈ [4.5, 6]), we obtained an accuracy of 73% and precision of 80%. These results highlight the possibility of overcoming the current limitations in assembling large samples of LAEs by making informed predictions that can be used for planning future large-scale spectroscopic surveys.

On the Sizes of Ionized Bubbles Around Galaxies During the Reionization Epoch. The Spectral Shapes of the Lyα Emission from Galaxies

We develop a new method to determine the distance between a high-redshift galaxy and a foreground screen of atomic hydrogen. In a partially neutral universe, and assuming spherical symmetry, this equates to the radius of an ionized “bubble” (R B) surrounding the galaxy. The method requires an observed Lyα equivalent width, its velocity offset from systemic, and an input Lyα profile for which we adopt scaled versions of the profiles observed in low-z galaxies. We demonstrate the technique in a sample of 23 galaxies at z > 6, including 8 at z = 7.2–10.6 recently observed with JWST. Our model estimates the emergent Lyα properties and the foreground distance to the absorbing intergalactic medium. We find that galaxies at z > 7.5 occupy smaller bubbles (∼0.5–1 pMpc) than those at lower z. With a relationship that is secure at 99% confidence, we empirically demonstrate the growth of ionized regions during the reionization epoch for the first time. We independently estimate the upper limit on the Strömgren radii (R S), and derive the escape fraction of ionizing photons () from the ratio of R B/R S, deriving a median value of 5%, which, on average, represents the lower end of the photon budget necessary for reionization.

The Universe is at Most 88% Neutral at z = 10.6

Recent observations of GN-z11 with JWST have revealed a Lyα emission line with an equivalent width (EW) of 18 ± 2 Å. At z = 10.6, this galaxy is expected to lie in the heart of reionization. We use a series of inhomogeneous reionization simulations to derive the distribution of the Lyα EW after traveling through the neutral intergalactic medium with varying average neutral gas fraction, x H I. We use these distributions to place an upper limit of x H I < 0.88 at z = 10.6 at 95% confidence level. We compare our upper limit to different reionization history models, which include the recently identified enhancement at the bright end of the luminosity function at z > 8. We find that models in which faint galaxies have a higher escape fraction compared to bright galaxies are favored by the new data.

The connection between the escape of ionizing radiation and galaxy properties at z ∼ 3 in the Keck Lyman continuum spectroscopic survey

ABSTRACT The connection between the escape fraction of ionizing radiation (fesc) and the properties of galaxies, such as stellar mass ($\rm M_{\rm *}$), age, star-formation rate (SFR), and dust content, are key inputs for reionization models, but many of these relationships remain untested at high redshift. We present an analysis of a sample of 96 $z$ ∼ 3 galaxies from the Keck Lyman Continuum Spectroscopic Survey (KLCS). These galaxies have both sensitive Keck/LRIS spectroscopic measurements of the Lyman continuum (LyC) region, and multiband photometry that places constraints on stellar population parameters. We construct composite spectra from subsamples binned as a function of galaxy property and quantify the ionizing-photon escape for each composite. We find a significant anti-correlation between fesc and $\rm M_{\rm *}$, consistent with predictions from cosmological zoom-in simulations. We also find significant anti-correlation between fesc and E(B−V), encoding the underlying physics of LyC escape in our sample. We also find no significant correlation between fesc and either stellar age or specific SFR (= SFR/$\rm M_{\rm *}$), challenging interpretations that synchronize recent star formation and favorable conditions for ionizing escape. The galaxy properties now shown to correlate with fesc in the KLCS are Lyα equivalent width, UV Luminosity, $\rm M_{\rm *}$, SFR, and E(B−V), but not age or sSFR. This comprehensive analysis of galaxy properties and LyC escape at high redshift will be used to guide future models and observations of the reionization epoch.

Inferring the intergalactic medium neutral fraction at z ∼ 6–8 with low-luminosity Lyman break galaxies

ABSTRACT We present a Bayesian inference on the neutral hydrogen fraction of the intergalactic medium (IGM), $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$, at z ∼ 6–8 using the properties of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) during the epoch of reionization. We use large samples of LBG candidates at 5.5 ≤ z ≤ 8.2 with spectroscopy from Keck/DEIMOS and Keck/MOSFIRE. For each galaxy, we incorporate either the Lyman-α (Lyα) equivalent width (EW) for detections or the EW limit spectrum for non-detections to parametrize the EW distribution at various ultraviolet brightnesses for a given redshift. Using our reference sample of galaxy candidates from the ionized universe at z ∼ 6.0, we are able to infer $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$ at two redshifts: z ∼ 6.7 and z ∼ 7.6. This work includes intrinsically faint, gravitationally lensed galaxies at z ∼ 6.0 in order to constrain the intrinsic faint-end Lyα EW distribution and provide a comparable population of galaxies to counterparts in our sample that are at higher redshift. The inclusion of faint galaxy candidates, in addition to a more sophisticated modelling framework, allows us to better isolate effects of the interstellar medium and circumgalactic medium on the observed Lyα distribution from those of the IGM. We infer an upper limit of $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$ ≤ 0.25 (0.44) at z = 6.7 ± 0.2 and a neutral fraction of $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$ = $0.83^{+0.08}_{-0.11}$ (0.83$^{+0.11}_{-0.21}$) at z = 7.6 ± 0.6, both within 68 per cent (95 per cent) uncertainty, results that favour a moderately late and fairly rapid reionization.

Metal content of the circumgalactic medium around star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2.6 as revealed by the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey

Context. The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is the location where the interplay between large-scale outflows and accretion onto galaxies occurs. Metals in different ionization states flowing between the circumgalactic and intergalactic mediums are affected by large galactic outflows and low-ionization state inflowing gas. Observational studies on their spatial distribution and their relation with galaxy properties may provide important constraints on models of galaxy formation and evolution. Aims. The main goal of this paper is to provide new insights into the spatial distribution of the circumgalactic of star-forming galaxies at 1.5 &lt; z &lt; 4.5 (⟨z⟩∼2.6) in the peak epoch of cosmic star formation activity in the Universe. We also look for possible correlations between the strength of the low- and high-ionization absorption features (LIS and HIS) and stellar mass, star formation rate, effective radius, and azimuthal angle ϕ that defines the location of the absorbing gas relative to the galaxy disc plane. Methods. The CGM has been primarily detected via the absorption features that it produces on the continuum spectrum of bright background sources. We selected a sample of 238 close pairs from the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey to examine the spatial distribution of the gas located around star-forming galaxies and generate composite spectra by co-adding spectra of background galaxies that provide different sight-lines across the CGM of star-forming galaxies. Results. We detect LIS (C II and Si II) and HIS (Si IV, C IV) up to separations ⟨b⟩ = 172 kpc and 146 kpc. Beyond this separation, we do not detect any significant signal of CGM absorption in the background composite spectra. Our Lyα, LIS, and HIS rest-frame equivalent width (W0) radial profiles are at the upper envelope of the W0 measurements at lower redshifts, suggesting a potential redshift evolution for the CGM gas content producing these absorptions. We find a correlation between C II and C IV with star formation rate and stellar mass, as well as trends with galaxy size estimated by the effective radius and azimuthal angle. Galaxies with high star formation rate (log[SFR/(M⊙ yr−1)] &gt; 1.5) and stellar mass (log[M⋆/M⊙] &gt; 10.2) show stronger C IV absorptions compared with those low SFR (log[SFR/(M⊙ yr−1)] &lt; 0.9) and low stellar mass (log[M⋆/M⊙] &lt; 9.26). The latter population instead shows stronger C II absorption than their more massive or more star-forming counterparts. We compute the C II/C IVW0 line ratio that confirms the C II and C IV correlations with impact parameter, stellar mass, and star formation rate. We do not find any correlation with ϕ in agreement with other high-redshift studies and in contradiction to what is observed at low redshift where large-scale outflows along the minor axis forming bipolar outflows are detected. Conclusions. We find that the stronger C IV line absorptions in the outer regions of these star-forming galaxies could be explained by stronger outflows in galaxies with higher star formation rates and stellar masses that are capable of projecting the ionized gas up to large distances and/or by stronger UV ionizing radiation in these galaxies that is able to ionize the gas even at large distances. On the other hand, low-mass galaxies show stronger C II absorptions, suggesting larger reservoirs of cold gas that could be explained by a softer radiation field unable to ionize high-ionization state lines or by the galactic fountain scenario where metal-rich gas ejected from previous star formation episodes falls back to the galaxy. These large reservoirs of cold neutral gas around low-mass galaxies could be funnelled into the galaxies and eventually provide the necessary fuel to sustain star formation activity.

Stellar Populations of Lyα-emitting Galaxies in the HETDEX Survey. I. An Analysis of LAEs in the GOODS-N Field

We present the results of a stellar population analysis of 72 Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) in GOODS-N at 1.9 < z < 3.5 spectroscopically identified by the Hobby−Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). We provide a method for connecting emission-line detections from the blind spectroscopic survey to imaging counterparts, a crucial tool needed as HETDEX builds a massive database of ∼1 million Lyα detections. Using photometric data spanning as many as 11 filters covering 0.4 < λ (μm) < 4.5 from the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, we study the objects’ global properties and explore which properties impact the strength of Lyα emission. We measure a median stellar mass of and conclude that the physical properties of HETDEX spectroscopically selected LAEs are comparable to LAEs selected by previous deep narrowband studies. We find that stellar mass and star formation rate correlate strongly with the Lyα equivalent width. We then use a known sample of z > 7 LAEs to perform a protostudy of predicting Lyα emission from galaxies in the epoch of reionization, finding agreement at the 1σ level between prediction and observation for the majority of strong emitters.

A tentative ∼1000 km s−1 offset between the [CII] 158 m and Lyα line emission in a star-forming galaxy at z = 7.2

GN-108036 is a star-forming galaxy at z = 7.21, and one of the most distant known sources in the Northern hemisphere. Based on observations from the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA), here we report the tentative detection of the [C II] line at ≈4σ significance. The integrated [C II] line emission is spatially offset about ∼4 kpc from the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) emission. The total [C II] luminosity (L[CII] = 2.7 × 108 L⊙) is consistent with the relation between [C II] luminosity and star formation rate (SFR) observed in nearby and high-z star forming galaxies. More interestingly, the [C II] line is blueshifted with respect to the Lyα line by 980 ± 10 km s−1. If confirmed, this corresponds to the largest velocity offset reported to date between the Lyα line and a non-resonant line at z ≳ 6. According to trends observed in other high redshift galaxies, the large Lyα velocity offset in GN-108036 is consistent with its low Lyα equivalent width and high UV absolute magnitude. Based on Lyα radiative transfer models of expanding shells, the large Lyα velocity offset in GN-108036 could be interpreted as the presence of a large column density of hydrogen gas, and/or an outflow with a velocity of vout ∼ ΔvLyα/2 ∼ 500 km s−1. We also report the 3σ detection of a potential galaxy companion located ∼30 kpc east of GN-108036, at a similar systemic velocity, and with no counterpart rest-frame UV emission.

The Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum Survey

Aims. Combining 66 ultraviolet (UV) spectra and ancillary data from the recent Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum Survey (LzLCS) and 23 LyC observations by earlier studies, we form a statistical sample of star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 0.2 − 0.4 with which we study the role of cold interstellar medium (ISM) gas in the leakage of ionizing radiation. We also aim to establish empirical relations between the H I neutral and low-ionization state (LIS) absorption lines with different galaxy properties. Methods. We first constrain the massive star content (stellar ages and metallicities) and UV attenuation by fitting the stellar continuum with a combination of simple stellar population models. The models, together with accurate LyC flux measurements, allow us to determine the absolute LyC photon escape fraction for each galaxy (fescabs). We then measure the equivalent widths and residual fluxes of multiple H I and LIS lines, and the geometrical covering fraction of the UV emission, adopting the picket-fence model. Results. The LyC escape fraction spans a wide range, with a median fescabs (0.16, 0.84 quantiles) of 0.04 (0.02, 0.20), and 50 out of the 89 galaxies detected in the LyC (1σ upper limits of fescabs ≲ 0.01 for non-detections, typically). The H I and LIS line equivalent widths scale with the UV luminosity and attenuation, and inversely with the residual flux of these lines. Additionally, Lyα equivalent widths scale with both the H I and LIS residual fluxes, but anti-correlate with the corresponding H I or LIS equivalent widths. The H I and LIS residual fluxes are correlated, indicating that the neutral gas is spatially traced by the low-ionization transitions. We find that the observed trends of the absorption lines and the UV attenuation are primarily driven by the geometric covering fraction of the gas. The observed nonuniform gas coverage also demonstrates that LyC photons escape through low-column-density channels in the ISM. The equivalent widths and residual fluxes of both the H I and LIS lines strongly correlate with fescabs: strong LyC leakers (highest fescabs) show weak absorption lines, low UV attenuation, and large Lyα equivalent widths. We provide several empirical calibrations to estimate fescabs from UV absorption lines. Finally, we show that simultaneous UV absorption line and dust attenuation measurements can, in general, predict the escape fraction of galaxies. We apply our method to available measurements of UV LIS lines of 15 star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 4 − 6 (plus 3 high-z galaxy composites), finding that these high-redshift, UV-bright galaxies (MUV ≲ −21) may have low escape fractions, fescabs ≲ 0.1. Conclusions. UV absorption lines trace the cold ISM gas of galaxies, which governs the physics of the LyC escape. We show that, with some assumptions, the absolute LyC escape can be statistically predicted using UV absorption lines, and the method can be applied to study galaxies across a wide redshift range, including in the epoch of cosmic reionization.