The Nature of H$\beta +$[O{\sc iii}] and [O{\sc ii}] emitters to $z\sim 5$ with HiZELS: stellar mass functions and the evolution of EWs

Abstract

We investigate the properties of $\sim 7000$ narrow-band selected galaxies with strong H$\beta +$[OIII] and [OII] nebular emission lines from the High-$z$ Emission Line Survey (HiZELS) between $z\sim 0.8-5.0$. Our sample covers a wide range in stellar mass ($M\sim 10^{7.5-12.0}$ M${}_{\odot }$), rest-frame equivalent widths (EW${}_{\mathrm{rest}}\sim 10-10^5$ Å), and line luminosities ($L\sim 10^{40.5-43.2}$ erg s${}^{-1}$). We measure the H$\beta +$[OIII] and [OII]-selected stellar mass functions out to $z\sim 3.5$ and find that both $M_{\star }$ and ${\varphi }_{\star }$ increases with cosmic time, which may be due to the [OIII] selection including an increasing fraction of AGN at lower redshifts. The [OII]-selected stellar mass functions show a constant $M_{\star }\sim 10^{11.6}$ M${}_{\odot }$ and a strong, increasing evolution with cosmic time in ${\varphi }_{\star }$ in line with H$\alpha$ studies. We also investigate the EW${}_{\mathrm{rest}}$ evolution as a function of redshift with a fixed mass range (10${}^{9.5-10.0}$ M${}_{\odot }$) and find an increasing trend best represented by $(1+z{)}^{3.81\pm 0.14}$ and $(1+z{)}^{2.72\pm 0.19}$ up to $z\sim 2$ and $\sim 3$ for H$\beta$+[OIII] and [OII] emitters, respectively. This is the first time that the EW evolution has been directly measured for H$\beta +$[OIII] and [OII] emitters up to these redshifts. There is evidence for a slower evolution for $z>2$ in the H$\beta +$[OIII] EW and a decreasing trend for $z>3$ in the [OII] EW evolution, which would imply low [OII] EW at the highest redshifts and higher [OIII]/[OII] line ratios. This suggests that the ionization parameter at higher redshift may be significantly higher than the local Universe. Our results set the stage for future near-IR space-based spectroscopic surveys to test our extrapolated predictions and also produce $z>5$ measurements to constrain the high-$z$ end of the EW${}_{\mathrm{rest}}$ and [OIII]/[OII] evolution.

20 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables, submitted to MNRAS

References in corpus (36)

• Cosmic Star Formation History
• The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS)
• Mass and environment as drivers of galaxy evolution in SDSS and zCOSMOS and the origin of the Schechter function
• The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) -- Overview
• A simple model to interpret the ultraviolet, optical and infrared emission from galaxies
• UV Luminosity Functions at redshifts z~4 to z~10: 10000 Galaxies from HST Legacy Fields
• COSMOS Photometric Redshifts with 30-bands for 2-deg2
• zCOSMOS: A Large VLT/VIMOS redshift survey covering 0 < z < 3 in the COSMOS field
• Detection of quiescent galaxies in a bicolor sequence from z=0-2
• Strong Nebular Line Ratios in the Spectra of z~2-3 Star-forming Galaxies: First Results from KBSS-MOSFIRE
• The stellar mass assembly of galaxies from z=0 to z=4. Analysis of a sample selected in the rest-frame near-infrared with Spitzer
• PRIMUS: Constraints on Star Formation Quenching and Galaxy Merging, and the Evolution of the Stellar Mass Function From z=0-1
• Star formation in AEGIS field galaxies since z=1.1 . Staged galaxy formation, and a model of mass-dependent gas exhaustion
• H-alpha Observations of a Large Sample of Galaxies at z~2: Implications for Star Formation in High Redshift Galaxies
• The galaxy stellar mass function at 3.5<z<7.5 in the CANDELS/UDS, GOODS-South, and HUDF fields
• The MOSDEF Survey: Mass, Metallicity, and Star-formation Rate at z~2.3
• Ultraviolet Emission Lines in Young Low Mass Galaxies at z~2: Physical Properties and Implications for Studies at z>7
• Spectroscopic detections of CIII]1909 at z~6-7: A new probe of early star forming galaxies and cosmic reionisation
• The evolution of the near-IR galaxy Luminosity Function and colour bimodality up to z ~ 2 from the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey Early Data Release
• Metallicities and Physical Conditions in Star-forming Galaxies at z~1.0-1.5
• HiZELS: a high redshift survey of H-alpha emitters. I: the cosmic star-formation rate and clustering at z=2.23
• Effects of Local Environment and Stellar Mass on Galaxy Quenching out to z~3
• High-precision Photometric Redshifts from Spitzer/IRAC: Extreme [3.6]-[4.5] Colors Identify Galaxies in the Redshift Range z~6.6-6.9
• ZFOURGE/CANDELS: On the Evolution of M* Galaxy Progenitors from z=3 to 0.5
• The evolution of the specific star formation rate of massive galaxies to z ~ 1.8 in the E-CDFS
• A Comparative Study of Density Field Estimation for Galaxies: New Insights into the Evolution of Galaxies with Environment in COSMOS out to z~3
• The contribution of star formation and merging to stellar mass buildup in galaxies
• MOIRCS Deep Survey IV: Evolution of Galaxy Stellar Mass Function Back to z ~ 3
• Deconstructing the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function with UKIDSS and CANDELS: the Impact of Colour, Structure and Environment
• Evolution of the H$\beta$+[OIII] and [OII] luminosity functions and the [OII] star-formation history of the Universe up to $z$ ~ 5 from HiZELS
• A relationship between specific star formation rate and metallicity gradient within z=1 galaxies from KMOS-HiZELS
• Physical properties of galaxies and their evolution in the VIMOS VLT Deep Survey. I. The evolution of the mass-metallicity relation up to z~0.9
• Investigating H$\alpha$, UV, and IR star-formation rate diagnostics for a large sample of z ~ 2 galaxies
• The Relationship between Stellar Mass, Gas Metallicity, and Star Formation Rate for Halpha-selected Galaxies at z~0.8 from the NewHalpha Survey
• A Study of Massive and Evolved Galaxies at High Redshift
• Physical and Morphological Properties of [O II] Emitting Galaxies in the HETDEX Pilot Survey

Cited by in corpus (48)

• EIGER II. first spectroscopic characterisation of the young stars and ionised gas associated with strong H$\beta$ and [OIII] line-emission in galaxies at z=5-7 with JWST
• The [OIII]$+$H$\beta$ Equivalent Width Distribution at z$\simeq$7: Implications for the Contribution of Galaxies to Reionization
• The MOSDEF Survey: Significant Evolution in the Rest-Frame Optical Emission Line Equivalent Widths of Star-Forming Galaxies at z=1.4-3.8
• The production and escape of Lyman-Continuum radiation from star-forming galaxies at z~2 and their redshift evolution
• The GREATS H$\beta$+[OIII] Luminosity Function and Galaxy Properties at $\mathbf{z}\sim 8$: Walking the Way of JWST
• Slicing COSMOS with SC4K: the evolution of typical Lya emitters and the Lya escape fraction from z~2 to z~6
• New Insights on Ly-alpha and Lyman Continuum Radiative Transfer in the Greenest Peas
• The COSMOS2015 galaxy stellar mass function: 13 billion years of stellar mass assembly in 10 snapshots
• The Lyman-alpha luminosity function at z=5.7-6.6 and the steep drop of the faint end: implications for reionization
• The CALYMHA survey: Lya luminosity function and global escape fraction of Lya photons at z=2.23
• EMPRESS. V. Metallicity Diagnostics of Galaxies over 12+log(O/H)=~6.9-8.9 Established by a Local Galaxy Census: Preparing for JWST Spectroscopy
• The JWST-PRIMAL Legacy Survey. A JWST/NIRSpec reference sample for the physical properties and Lyman-$\alpha$ absorption and emission of $\sim 500$ galaxies at $z=5.5-13.4$
• The Lyman Continuum escape fraction of faint galaxies at z~3.3 in the CANDELS/GOODS-North, EGS, and COSMOS fields with LBC
• The nature of luminous Lyman-alpha emitters at z~2-3: maximal dust-poor starbursts and highly ionising AGN
• The Effects of Stellar Population and Gas Covering Fraction on the Emergent Lyman Alpha Emission of High-Redshift Galaxies
• MIDIS: Strong (Hb + [OIII]) and Ha emitters at redshift $z\simeq 7-8$ unveiled with JWST/NIRCam and MIRI imaging in the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (XDF)
• The evolution of rest-frame UV properties, Lya EWs and the SFR-Stellar mass relation at z~2-6 for SC4K LAEs
• Boötes-HiZELS: an optical to near-infrared survey of emission-line galaxies at $\mathbf{z}=0.4-4.7$
• Chemodynamics of Green Pea galaxies -- I. Outflows and turbulence driving the escape of ionising photons and chemical enrichment
• ZFOURGE: Using Composite Spectral Energy Distributions to Characterize Galaxy Populations at 1<z<4
• Blue Rest-Frame UV-Optical Colors in z~8 Galaxies from GREATS: Very Young Stellar Populations at ~650 Myr of Cosmic Time
• The Number Densities and Stellar Populations of Massive Galaxies at 3 < z < 6: A Diverse, Rapidly Forming Population in the Early Universe
• Tomographic Intensity Mapping versus Galaxy Surveys: Observing the Universe in H-alpha emission with new generation instruments
• SuperBoRG: Exploration of point sources at $z\sim 8$ in HST parallel fields
• Confirmation of double peaked Lyman-alpha emission at z=6.593: Witnessing a galaxy directly contributing to the reionisation of the Universe
• Broad-band selection, spectroscopic identification, and physical properties of a population of extreme emission line galaxies at 3<z<3.7
• A large, deep 3 deg${}^2$ survey of H$\alpha$, [OIII], and [OII] emitters from LAGER: constraining luminosity functions
• RELICS: Strong Lensing analysis of the galaxy clusters Abell S295, Abell 697, MACS J0025.4-1222, and MACS J0159.8-0849
• [OIII] emission line as a tracer of star-forming galaxies at high redshifts: Comparison between H$\alpha$ and [OIII] emitters at $z$=2.23 in HiZELS
• VIS3COS: I. survey overview and the role of environment and stellar mass on star formation
• The Spitzer/IRAC Legacy over the GOODS Fields: Full-Depth 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0um Mosaics and Photometry for > 9000 Galaxies at z~3.5-10 from the GOODS Re-ionization Era wide-Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS)
• The clustering of H$\beta$+[OIII] and [OII] emitters since $z\sim 5$: dependencies with line luminosity and stellar mass
• J-PLUS: Uncovering a large population of extreme [OIII] emitters in the local Universe
• A 16 deg${}^2$ survey of emission-line galaxies at z<1.6 from HSC-SSP PDR2 and CHORUS
• The interstellar medium in [OIII]-selected star-forming galaxies at $z\sim 3.2$
• Ubiquitous [OII] Emission in Quiescent Galaxies at z ~ 0.85
• [O II] nebular emission from Mg II absorbers: Star formation associated with the absorbing gas
• Host Galaxies of Ultra Strong Mg II absorbers at z $\sim$ 0.5
• Correlations between H$\alpha$ Equivalent Width and Galaxy Properties at $z=0.47$: Physical or Selection-driven?
• CHORUS IV: Mapping the Spatially Inhomogeneous Cosmic Reionization with Subaru HSC
• The JWST Emission Line Survey (JELS): Extending rest-optical narrow-band emission line selection into the Epoch of Reionization
• LOFAR properties of SILVERRUSH Ly$\alpha$ emitter candidates in the ELAIS-N1 field
• The OTELO survey: Faint end of the luminosity function of [OII] emitters at <z>= 1.43
• Multiple emission lines of H$\alpha$ emitters at $z\sim 2.3$ from the broad and medium-band photometry in the ZFOURGE Survey
• The $z\sim 2$ $[\mathrm{O}\mathrm{III}]$ Luminosity Function of Grism-selected Emission-line Galaxies
• Through the fog: a complementary optical galaxy classification scheme for 'intermediate' redshifts
• J-PAS: First Identification, Physical Properties and Ionization Efficiency of Extreme Emission Line Galaxies
• The Physical Properties of Star-Forming Galaxies with Strong [O III] Lines at z=3.25