2016ApJ...821L..27V -
Astrophys. J., 821, L27-L27 (2016/April-3)
High-resolution spectroscopy of a young, low-metallicity optically thin L = 0.02L* star-forming galaxy at z = 3.12.
VANZELLA E., DE BARROS S., CUPANI G., KARMAN W., GRONKE M., BALESTRA I., COE D., MIGNOLI M., BRUSA M., CALURA F., CAMINHA G.-B., CAPUTI K., CASTELLANO M., CHRISTENSEN L., COMASTRI A., CRISTIANI S., DIJKSTRA M., FONTANA A., GIALLONGO E., GIAVALISCO M., GILLI R., GRAZIAN A., GRILLO C., KOEKEMOER A., MENEGHETTI M., NONINO M., PENTERICCI L., ROSATI P., SCHAERER D., VERHAMME A., VIGNALI C. and ZAMORANI G.
Abstract (from CDS):
We present VLT/X-Shooter and MUSE spectroscopy of a faint F814W = 28.60 ± 0.33 ({M}_UV=-17.0), low-mass (<={10}^{7}{M}_☉), and compact (R eff = 62 pc) freshly star-forming galaxy at z = 3.1169 magnified (16x) by the Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy cluster Abell S1063. Gravitational lensing allows for a significant jump toward low-luminosity regimes, in moderately high-resolution spectroscopy (R=λ/dλ∼3000–7400). We measured C iv λ1548,1550, He ii λ1640, O iii]λ1661,1666, C iii]λλ1907,1909, Hβ, [O iii]λλ4959,5007 emission lines with FWHM\lesssim 50 km s-1 and (de-lensed) fluxes spanning the interval 1.0×{10}^{-19}–2×{10}^{-18} erg s-1 cm-2 at signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 4-30. The double-peaked Lyα emission with Δv(red-blue)=280(±7) km s-1 and de-lensed fluxes {2.4}_{(blue)}| {8.5}_{(red)}×{10}^{-18} erg s-1 cm-2 (S/N = {38}_{(blue)}| {110}_{(red)}) indicate a low column density of neutral hydrogen gas consistent with a highly ionized interstellar medium as also inferred from the large [O iii]λ5007/ [O ii]λ3727\gt 10 ratio. We detect C iv λ1548,1550 resonant doublet in emission, each component with FWHM\lesssim 45 km s-1 and redshifted by +51(±10) km s-1 relative to the systemic redshift. We interpret this as nebular emission tracing an expanding optically thin interstellar medium. Both C iv λ1548,1550 and He ii λ1640 suggest the presence of hot and massive stars (with a possible faint active galactic nucleus). The ultraviolet slope is remarkably blue, β=-2.95±0.20 ({F}_λ=λ^β), consistent with a dust-free and young <=20 Myr galaxy. Line ratios suggest an oxygen abundance 12 + log(O/H) \lt 7.8. We are witnessing an early episode of star formation in which a relatively low N H i and negligible dust attenuation might favor a leakage of ionizing radiation. This galaxy currently represents a unique low-luminosity reference object for future studies of the reionization epoch with the James Webb Space Telescope.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Journal keyword(s):
cosmology: observations - galaxies: formation
Simbad objects:
5
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