A Candidate Brightest Proto-Cluster Galaxy at z = 3.03

Abstract

We report the discovery of a very bright (m_R = 22.2) Lyman break galaxy at z = 3.03 that appears to be a massive system in a late stage of merging. Deep imaging reveals multiple peaks in the brightness profile with angular separations of ~0.''8 (~25 h^-1 kpc comoving). In addition, high signal-to-noise ratio rest-frame UV spectroscopy shows evidence for ~5 components based on stellar photospheric and ISM absorption lines with a velocity dispersion of sigma ~460 km s^-1 for the three strongest components. Both the dynamics and high luminosity, as well as our analysis of a LCDM numerical simulation, suggest a very massive system with halo mass M ~ 10^13 M_solar. The simulation finds that all halos at z = 3 of this mass contain sub-halos in agreement with the properties of these observed components and that such systems typically evolve into M ~ 10^14 M_solar halos in groups and clusters by z = 0. This discovery provides a rare opportunity to study the properties and individual components of z ~ 3 systems that are likely to be the progenitors to brightest cluster galaxies.

14 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ Letters

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• Semi-Analytic Model Predictions of the Galaxy Population in Proto-clusters
• Lyman Break Galaxies at z~1.8-2.8: GALEX/NUV Imaging of the Subaru Deep Field
• Lyman break galaxy close and interacting pairs at z ~ 3
• B2 0902+34: A Collapsing Protogiant Elliptical Galaxy at z=3.4
• A UV Ultra-luminous Lyman Break Galaxy at Z=2.78 in NDWFS Bootes Field