First Science with SHARDS: emission line galaxies

Abstract

SHARDS (Survey for High-z Absorption Red & Dead Sources) is an unbiased ultra-deep spectro-photometric survey with GTC@OSIRIS aimed at selecting and studying massive passively evolving galaxies at z=1.0-2.3 using a set of 24 medium-band filters (FWHM\sim17 nm) at 500-950 nm in GOODS-N. Our observing strategy is optimized to detect at z>1 the prominent Mg absorption feature at rest-frame ~280 nm, a distinctive, necessary, and sufficient feature of evolved stellar populations. Nonetheless, the data quality allow a plethora of studies on galaxy populations, including Emission Lines Galaxies (ELGs) about which we have started our first science verification project presented in this contribution.

arXiv commentProceedings of the "Fourth 'Science with the GTC' Meeting", held in La Palma in November 2011. For more info about SHARDS, visit http://guaix.fis.ucm.es/~pgperez/SHARDS