Spectroscopic Observations of Lyman-Break Galaxies at Redshift ~ 4, 5 and 6 in the GOODS-South Field

Abstract

We report on observations of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) selected from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey at mean redshift z~4, 5 and 6, obtained with FORS2 spectrograph at the ESO-VLT.This program has yielded spectroscopic identifications for 114 galaxies of which 51 are at z~4, 31 at z~5, and 32 at z~6. The adopted selection criteria are effective, identifying galaxies at the expected redshift with minimal foreground contamination. Once selection effects are properly accounted for, the rest-frame UV spectra of the higher-redshift LBGs appear to be similar to their counterparts at z~3. As at z~3, LBGs at z~4 and z~5 show Lya both in emission and in absorption; when in absorption, strong interstellar lines and red UV spectra are observed, a fact also measured at z~2 and 3. At z~6, sensitivity issues bias our sample towards galaxies with Lya in emission; nevertheless, these spectra appear to be similar to their lower-redshift counterparts. As in other studies at similar redshifts, we find clear evidence that brighter LBGs tend to have weaker Lya emission lines. At fixed rest-frame UV luminosity, the equivalent width of the Lya emission line is larger at higher redshifts. At all redshifts where the measurements can be reliably made, the redshift of the Lya emission line turns out to be larger than that of the interstellar absorption lines,with a median velocity difference DeltaV~400 km/s at z~4 and 5, consistent with results at lower redshifts. This shows that powerful, large-scale winds are common at high redshift.In general,there is no strong correlation between the morphology of the UV light and the spectroscopic properties. However, galaxies with deep interstellar absorption lines and strong Lya absorption appear to be more diffuse than galaxies with Lya in emission.(abridged)

58 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (22)

• AMAZE. I. The evolution of the mass-metallicity relation at z>3
• Confirmation of the remarkable compactness of massive quiescent galaxies at z~2.3: early-type galaxies did not form in a simple monolithic collapse
• UV Luminosity Functions at z~4, 5, and 6 from the HUDF and other Deep HST ACS Fields: Evolution and Star Formation History
• 3D Lyman-alpha radiation transfer. I. Understanding Lyman-alpha line profile morphologies
• Multi-Wavelength Constraints on the Cosmic Star Formation History from Spectroscopy: the Rest-Frame UV, H-alpha, and Infrared Luminosity Functions at Redshifts 1.9<z<3.4
• Multiwavelength study of massive galaxies at z~2. II. Widespread Compton thick AGN and the concurrent growth of black holes and bulges
• The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey. VLT/FORS2 Spectroscopy in the GOODS-South Field: Part III
• The GOODS-MUSIC sample: a multicolour catalog of near-IR selected galaxies in the GOODS-South field
• The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey. VLT/VIMOS Spectroscopy in the GOODS-South Field
• The Morphological Diversities Among Star-forming Galaxies at High Redshifts in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)
• The Physical Nature of Rest-UV Galaxy Morphology During the Peak Epoch of Galaxy Formation
• Definitive Identification of the Transition between Small- to Large-Scale Clustering for Lyman Break Galaxies
• HST morphologies of local Lyman break galaxy analogs I: Evidence for starbursts triggered by merging
• The Stellar Masses and Star Formation Histories of Galaxies at z ~ 6: Constraints from Spitzer Observations in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey
• A Population of Massive and Evolved Galaxies at z$\ga$5
• Deficiency of large equivalent width Lyman-alpha emission in luminous Lyman break galaxies at z~5-6?
• Lyman alpha emission in high-redshift galaxies
• The physical properties of Lyalpha emitting galaxies: not just primeval galaxies?
• Physical properties of z~4 LBGs: differences between galaxies with and without Ly-alpha emission
• Is the Gini coefficient a stable measure of galaxy structure?
• A Confirmation of the Strong Clustering of Distant Red Galaxies at 2 < z <3
• Lyman Break Galaxies at z~5: Rest-frame UV Spectra II

Cited by in corpus (171)

• A Highly Consistent Framework for the Evolution of the Star-Forming "Main Sequence" from z~0-6
• UV Luminosity Functions at redshifts z~4 to z~10: 10000 Galaxies from HST Legacy Fields
• The Evolution of the Galaxy Rest-Frame Ultraviolet Luminosity Function Over the First Two Billion Years
• Statistics of 207 Lya Emitters at a Redshift Near 7: Constraints on Reionization and Galaxy Formation Models
• UV Luminosity Functions from 132 z~7 and z~8 Lyman-Break Galaxies in the ultra-deep HUDF09 and wide-area ERS WFC3/IR Observations
• A Remarkably Luminous Galaxy at z=11.1 Measured with Hubble Space Telescope Grism Spectroscopy
• UV-continuum slopes at z~4-7 from the HUDF09+ERS+CANDELS observations: Discovery of a well-defined UV-color magnitude relationship for z>=4 star-forming galaxies
• Keck Spectroscopy of 3<z<7 Faint Lyman Break Galaxies: The Importance of Nebular Emission in Understanding the Specific Star Formation Rate and Stellar Mass Density
• Keck Spectroscopy of Faint 3<z<7 Lyman Break Galaxies: - I. New constraints on cosmic reionisation from the luminosity and redshift-dependent fraction of Lyman-alpha emission
• UV Continuum Slope and Dust Obscuration from z~6 to z~2: The Star Formation Rate Density at High Redshift
• New Determinations of the UV Luminosity Functions from z~9 to z~2 show a remarkable consistency with halo growth and a constant star formation efficiency
• The Evolutionary History of Lyman Break Galaxies Between Redshift 4 and 6: Observing Successive Generations of Massive Galaxies in Formation
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of Three z-Dropout Galaxies at z = 6.844 - 7.213: Demographics of Lyman-Alpha Emission in z ~ 7 Galaxies
• Lyman-alpha and CIII] Emission in z=7-9 Galaxies: Accelerated Reionization Around Luminous Star Forming Systems?
• Ionization State of Inter-Stellar Medium in Galaxies: Evolution, SFR-M_star-Z Dependence, and Ionizing Photon Escape
• The VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey: ~10,000 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts to study galaxy assembly at early epochs 2<z<~6
• The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey: I. Survey description, data reduction and source detection
• A candidate redshift z ~ 10 galaxy and rapid changes in that population at an age of 500 Myr
• Physical Conditions in a Young, Unreddened, Low Metallicity Galaxy at High Redshift
• The mass evolution of the first galaxies: stellar mass functions and star formation rates at $4<z<7$ in the CANDELS GOODS-South field
• Spectroscopic confirmation of z~7 LBGs: probing the earliest galaxies and the epoch of reionization
• The Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 Early Release Science data: Panchromatic Faint Object Counts for 0.2-2 microns wavelength
• Keck Spectroscopy of Faint 3<z<8 Lyman Break Galaxies:- Evidence for a Declining Fraction of Emission Line Sources In the Redshift Range 6<z<8
• The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey - VLT/VIMOS Spectroscopy in the GOODS-South Field: Part II
• Line Emitting Galaxies Beyond a Redshift of 7: An Improved Method for Estimating the Evolving Neutrality of the Intergalactic Medium
• Keck Spectroscopy of Faint 3<z<7 Lyman Break Galaxies:- II. A High Fraction of Line Emitters at Redshift Six
• Lyman-alpha Emission from a Luminous z=8.68 Galaxy: Implications for Galaxies as Tracers of Cosmic Reionization
• Completing the Census of Ly-alpha Emitters at the Reionization Epoch
• Very Strong Emission-Line Galaxies in the WISP Survey and Implications for High-Redshift Galaxies
• Predicted UV properties of very metal-poor starburst galaxies
• The Lyman-Continuum Photon Production Efficiency xi_{ion} of z~4-5 Galaxies from IRAC-based Halpha Measurements: Implications for the Escape Fraction and Cosmic Reionization
• A Census of Star-Forming Galaxies in the z~9-10 Universe based on HST+Spitzer Observations Over 19 CLASH clusters: Three Candidate z~9-10 Galaxies and Improved Constraints on the Star Formation Rate Density at z~9
• Spectroscopic confirmation of two Lyman break galaxies at redshift beyond 7
• UVUDF: Ultraviolet Through Near-infrared Catalog and Photometric Redshifts of Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field
• Stellar Populations of Lyman Alpha Emitters at z~6-7: Constraints on the Escape Fraction of Ionizing Photons from Galaxy Building Blocks
• The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey: II. Spectroscopic redshifts and comparisons to color selections of high-redshift galaxies
• Deep U band and R imaging of GOODS-South: Observations,data reduction and first results
• "Super-deblended" Dust Emission in Galaxies: I. The GOODS-North Catalog and the Cosmic Star Formation Rate Density out to Redshift 6
• New Constraints on the Faint-end of the UV Luminosity Function at z~7-8 using the Gravitational Lensing of the Hubble Frontier Fields Cluster A2744
• The Relationship Between Stellar Populations and Lyman Alpha Emission in Lyman Break Galaxies
• The Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum Survey II: New Insights into LyC Diagnostics
• The lack of intense Lyman~alpha in ultradeep spectra of z=7 candidates in GOODS-S: imprint of reionization?
• Spectroscopy of z ~ 7 candidate galaxies: Using Lyman-alpha to constrain the neutral fraction of hydrogen in the high-redshift universe
• The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey: Constraints on the Lyman Continuum Escape Fraction Distribution of Lyman--Break Galaxies at 3.4<z<4.5
• Radiative Transfer Modeling of Lyman Alpha Emitters. I. Statistics of Spectra and Luminosity
• How Do Star-Forming Galaxies at Z>3 Assemble Their Masses?
• On The Detection Of Ionizing Radiation Arising From Star-Forming Galaxies At Redshift z ~ 3-4 : Looking For Analogs Of "Stellar Reionizers"
• The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey: Nature, ISM properties, and ionizing spectra of CIII]1909 emitters at z=2-4
• Observational Searches for Galaxies at z > 6
• The Ultraviolet Spectrum of the Gravitationally Lensed Galaxy `The Cosmic Horseshoe': A Close-up of a Star-forming Galaxy at z = 2
• Keck Spectroscopy of Faint 3 < z < 7 Lyman Break Galaxies: III. The Mean Ultraviolet Spectrum at z=4
• Through the looking GLASS: HST spectroscopy of faint galaxies lensed by the Frontier Fields cluster MACS0717.5+3745
• The Lyman-alpha Reference Sample: I. Survey outline and first results for Markarian 259
• A remarkably high fraction of strong Ly_alpha emitters amongst luminous redshift 6.0<z<6.5 Lyman break galaxies in the UKIDSS Ultra-Deep Survey
• CANDELSz7: a large spectroscopic survey of CANDELS galaxies in the reionization epoch
• The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey First Data Release: spectra and spectroscopic redshifts of 698 objects up to z~6 in CANDELS
• The Luminosity Function at z~8 from 97 Y-band dropouts: Inferences About Reionization
• Focusing Cosmic Telescopes: Exploring Redshift z~5-6 Galaxies with the Bullet Cluster 1E0657-56
• The Arizona CDFS Environment Survey (ACES): A Magellan/IMACS Spectroscopic Survey of the Chandra Deep Field South
• The Evolution of Ly-alpha Emitting Galaxies Between z = 2.1 and z = 3.1
• GMASS ultradeep spectroscopy of galaxies at z~2 - VII. Sample selection and spectroscopy
• A young star-forming galaxy at z = 3.5 with an extended Ly\,$\alpha$ halo seen with MUSE
• The size-luminosity relation at z=7 in CANDELS and its implication on reionization
• Large scale outflows from z ~ 0.7 starburst galaxies identified via ultra-strong MgII quasar absorption lines
• Inferred Hα Flux as a Star-Formation Rate Indicator at z ~ 4-5: Implications for Dust Properties, Burstiness, and the z = 4-8 Star-Formation-Rate Functions
• The Rest Frame Ultraviolet Spectra of UV-Selected Active Galactic Nuclei at z ~ 2-3
• A Detailed Study of Photometric Redshifts for GOODS-South Galaxies
• The blue UV slopes of z~4 Lyman break galaxies: implications for the corrected star formation rate density
• UVUDF: Ultraviolet Imaging of the Hubble Ultradeep Field with Wide-field Camera 3
• Peering through the holes: the far UV color of star-forming galaxies at z~3-4 and the escaping fraction of ionizing radiation
• HeII emitters in the VIMOS VLT Deep Survey: PopIII star formation or peculiar stellar populations in galaxies at 2<z<4.6?
• The bright end of the z ~ 7 UV Luminosity Function from a wide and deep HAWK-I survey
• A New Constraint on Reionization from Evolution of the Ly$\alpha$ Luminosity Function at $z\sim 6-7$ Probed by a Deep Census of $z=7.0$ Ly$\alpha$ Emitter Candidates to 0.3 $L^{\ast }$
• Biases and Uncertainties in Physical Parameter Estimates of Lyman Break Galaxies from Broad-band Photometry
• The MUSE Deep Lensed Field on the Hubble Frontier Field MACS~J0416
• The Bivariate Size-luminosity Relations for Lyman Break Galaxies at z ~ 4 - 5
• Newly Discovered Bright z~9-10 Galaxies and Improved Constraints on Their Prevalence Using the Full CANDELS Area
• The systematic search for $z\gtrsim 5$ active galactic nuclei in the $Chandra$ Deep Field South
• Probing the z>6 Universe with the first Hubble Frontier Fields cluster Abell 2744
• The Role of Galaxies and AGN in Reionising the IGM - I: Keck Spectroscopy of 5 < z < 7 Galaxies in the QSO Field J1148+5251
• Evidence for a fast evolution of the UV luminosity function beyond redshift 6 from a deep HAWK-I survey of the GOODS-S field
• The Advanced Camera for Surveys General Catalog: Structural Parameters for Approximately Half a Million Galaxies
• The Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space (GLASS). III. A census of Lyα Emission at $z\gtrsim$7 from HST Spectroscopy
• A Study of Interstellar Gas and Stars in the Gravitationally Lensed Galaxy `The Cosmic Eye' from Rest-Frame Ultraviolet Spectroscopy
• The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey: The reversal of the star-formation rate $-$ density relation at $2<z<5$
• The redshift evolution of rest-UV spectroscopic properties in Lyman Break Galaxies at z ~ 2-4
• Faint Lyman-Break galaxies as a crucial test for galaxy formation models
• Probing $\sim L_{\ast }$ Lyman-break Galaxies at $z\approx 7$ in GOODS-South with WFC3 on HST
• A Comprehensive Study of Ly$\alpha$ Emission in the High-redshift Galaxy Population
• An exponential decline at the bright end of the z=6 galaxy luminosity function
• The mean H$\alpha$ EW and Lyman-continuum photon production efficiency for faint $z\approx 4-5$ galaxies
• The unusual NIV]-emitter galaxy GDS J033218.92-275302.7: star formation or AGN-driven winds from a massive galaxy at z=5.56
• The Average Physical Properties and Star Formation Histories of the UV-Brightest Star-Forming Galaxies at z~3.7
• A High Fraction of Ly-alpha-Emitters Among Galaxies with Extreme Emission Line Ratios at z ~ 2
• A critical analysis of the UV Luminosity Function at redshift~7 from deep WFC3 data
• A WFC3 Grism Emission Line Redshift Catalog in the GOODS-South Field
• Contamination on Lyman continuum emission at z >= 3: implication on the ionising radiation evolution
• A Rest-frame Optical View on z~4 Galaxies I: Color and Age Distributions from Deep IRAC Photometry of the IUDF10 and GOODS Surveys
• The Structures of Distant Galaxies - II: Diverse Galaxy Structures and Local Environments at z = 4-6; Implications for Early Galaxy Assembly
• On the influence of physical galaxy properties on Lyman-alpha escape in star-forming galaxies
• Mean Halpha+[NII]+[SII] EW Inferred for Star-Forming Galaxies at z=5.1-5.4 Using High-Quality Spitzer/IRAC Photometry
• Discovery Of Cold, Pristine Gas Possibly Accreting Onto An Overdensity Of Star-Forming Galaxies At Redshift z ~ 1.6
• CLASH-VLT: spectroscopic confirmation of a z=6.11 quintuply lensed galaxy in the Frontier Fields Cluster RXC J2248.7-4431
• Illuminating gas in-/outflows in the MUSE deepest fields: discovery of Ly-alpha nebulae around forming galaxies at z~3.3
• The ages, masses and star-formation rates of spectroscopically confirmed z~6 galaxies in CANDELS
• The UV-brightest Lyman continuum emitting star-forming galaxy
• Investigating the Effect of Galaxy Interactions on AGN Enhancement at $0.5<z<3.0$
• The size-star formation relation of massive galaxies at 1.5<z<2.5
• Physical and morphological properties of z~3 LBGs: dependence on Lyalpha line emission
• Optimized Photometric Redshifts for the Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS)
• Definitive upper bound on the negligible contribution of quasars to cosmic reionization
• Discovery of Extreme [OIII]+H$\beta$ Emitting Galaxies Tracing an Overdensity at z~3.5 in CDF-South
• Cosmology with dropout selection: Straw-man surveys and CMB lensing
• AGN-enhanced outflows of low-ionization gas in star-forming galaxies at 1.7<z<4.6
• The Stellar Mass, Star Formation Rate and Dark Matter Halo Properties of LAEs at $z\sim 2$
• Characterizing faint galaxies in the reionization epoch: LBT confirms two L<0.2L* sources at z=6.4 behind the CLASH/Frontier Fields cluster MACS0717.5+3745
• The Redshift Evolution of Rest-UV Spectroscopic Properties to z~5
• The primordial environment of supermassive black holes (II): deep Y and J band images around the z=6.3 quasar SDSS J1030+0524
• Observing the first galaxies
• Ly-alpha emitters in the GOODS-S field: a powerful pure nebular SED with N IV] emission at z=5.563
• GA-NIFS: Early-stage feedback in a heavily obscured AGN at $z=4.76$
• Investigating the Effect of Galaxy Interactions on Star Formation at 0.5<z<3.0
• The Impact of Strong Gravitational Lensing on Observed Lyman-Break Galaxy Numbers at 4<z<8 in the GOODS and the XDF Blank Fields
• Deep Keck u-band imaging of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: A catalog of z~3 Lyman Break Galaxies
• Spectroscopy of z~5 Lyman Break Galaxies in the ESO Remote Galaxy Survey
• On the dependence between UV luminosity and Lyman-alpha equivalent width in high redshift galaxies
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of a z=6.740 Galaxy behind the Bullet Cluster
• The Rest-frame Ultraviolet Light Profile Shapes of Ly-alpha-Emitting Galaxies at z=3.1
• Using the Bullet Cluster as a Gravitational Telescope to Study z~7 Lyman Break Galaxies
• Large-scale environment of z~5.7 CIV absorption systems I: projected distribution of galaxies
• Large-scale environment of $z\sim 5.7$ CIV absorption systems -II. Spectroscopy of Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters
• The interstellar medium and feedback in the progenitors of the compact passive galaxies at z~2
• A 52 hours VLT/FORS2 spectrum of a bright z~7 HUDF galaxy: no Ly-alpha emission
• Characterization and modeling of contamination for Lyman break galaxy samples at high redshift
• The impact of the Star Formation Histories on the SFR-M${}_{\ast }$ relation at z$\ge$2
• The VANDELS survey: Discovery of massive overdensities of galaxies at z>2
• Probing High-Redshift Galaxy Formation at the Highest Luminosities: New Insights from DEIMOS Spectroscopy
• What do observations of the Lyman-alpha fraction tell us about reionization?
• The BLAST 250-micron selected galaxy population in GOODS-South
• Synergies between radio, optical and microwave observations at high redshift
• Simulating JWST/NIRCam Color Selection of High-Redshift Galaxies
• The UDF05 Follow-up of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. III. The Luminosity Function at z~6
• Nebular and global properties of the gravitationally lensed galaxy "the 8 o'clock arc"
• Evidence for Reduced Specific Star Formation Rates in the Centers of Massive Galaxies at z = 4
• Morphological Properties of Lyman Alpha Emitters at Redshift 4.86 in the COSMOS Field: Clumpy Star Formation or Merger?
• Keck-I MOSFIRE spectroscopy of the z~12 candidate galaxy UDFj-39546284
• Photometric Selection of z~5 Lyman Break Galaxies in the ESO Remote Galaxy Survey
• The detection of FIR emission from high redshift star-forming galaxies in the ECDF-S
• A Correlation Between Lyα Spectral Line Profile and Rest-Frame UV Morphology
• X-shooter Observations of the Gravitational Lens System CASSOWARY 5
• A galaxy as the source of a Civ absorption system close to the epoch of reionization
• Steadily Increasing Star Formation Rates in Galaxies Observed at 3 <~ z <~ 5 in the CANDELS/GOODS-S Field
• Correlations between H$\alpha$ Equivalent Width and Galaxy Properties at $z=0.47$: Physical or Selection-driven?
• Physical properties of Lyman-alpha emitters at $z\sim 0.3$ from UV-to-FIR measurements
• Rest-frame ultra-violet spectra of massive galaxies at z=3: evidence of high-velocity outflows
• Discovering Large-Scale Structure at $2<z<5$ in the C3VO Survey
• A Search for Lyman Break Galaxies in the CDF-S Using Swift UVOT
• Limits on the Molecular Gas Content of z-5 LBGs
• Metal content of the circumgalactic medium around star-forming galaxies at z $\sim$ 2.6 as revealed by the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey
• A Catalog of Emission-Line Galaxies from the Faint Infrared Grism Survey: Studying Environmental Influence on Star Formation
• The Hα Luminosity Function of Galaxies at z {\sim} 4.5
• Limits on dust emission from z~5 LBGs and their local environments
• Lyman Alpha line properties at $z\simeq 3.78$ and their environmental dependence: a case study around a massive proto-cluster
• Identifying Lyα emitter candidates with Random Forest: learning from galaxies in CANDELS survey
• Detecting Massive Galaxies at High Redshift using the Dark Energy Survey
• Lyman Break Galaxies at z~5: Rest-Frame UV Spectra. III
• New Results from the Magellan IMACS Spectroscopic Lyman Alpha Survey: NICMOS Observations of Lyman Alpha emitters at z=5.7
• A z ~ 5.7 Lyα Emission Line with an Ultra Broad Red Wing
• The dust properties of z ~ 3 MIPS-LBGs from photo-chemical models
• An Overview of Mobile Capacitive Touch Technologies Trends
• Flexible Simulation Based Inference for Galaxy Photometric Fitting with Synthesizer