eprintid: 10126
rev_number: 23
eprint_status: archive
userid: 599
dir: disk0/00/01/01/26
datestamp: 2008-10-16 11:19:59
lastmod: 2015-07-23 09:35:12
status_changed: 2008-10-16 11:19:59
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Van Breukelen, C.
creators_name: Jarvis, M.J.
creators_name: Venemans, B.P.
creators_id: CVANB36
creators_id: 
creators_id: 
title: The luminosity function of Lyα emitters at 2.3 < z < 4.6 from integral-field spectroscopy
ispublished: pub
subjects: 11000
divisions: F60
abstract: We have used Visible MultiObject Spectrograph Integral-Field Unit observations centred on a radio galaxy at  z= 2.9  to search for Lyα emitters within a comoving volume of  ∼104 Mpc3 . We find 14 Lyα emitters with flux  >1.4 × 10−20 W m−2 , yielding a comoving space density of  0.0018+0.0006−0.0005 Mpc−3 . We fit a Schechter luminosity function that agrees well with previous studies both at similar redshift  (z∼ 3.4)  and higher redshift  (z∼ 5.7) . We therefore find no evidence for evolution in the properties of Lyα emitters between  3 < z < 6 , although our sample is small. By summing the star-formation rates of the individual Lyα emitters we find a total cosmic star-formation rate density of  ρSFR= 6.7 ± 0.5 × 10−3 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 . Integrating over the luminosity function for the combined Lyα surveys at  z∼ 3.4  and accounting for the difference in obscuration between the Lyα line and the ultraviolet-continuum yields an estimate of  ρSFR∼ 2.2 × 10−2 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 , in line with previous multi-colour and narrow-band surveys of high-redshift star-forming galaxies. The detection of high-redshift emission-line galaxies in our volumetric search shows that the unique capabilities of wide-field integral-field spectroscopy are well suited to searching for high-redshift galaxies in a relatively unbiased manner.
date: 2005-05
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08916.x
vfaculties: VMPS
rae2008: 19
oa_status: green
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08916.x
lyricists_name: Van Breukelen, C
lyricists_id: CVANB36
full_text_status: public
publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
volume: 359
number: 3
pagerange: 895-905
refereed: TRUE
issn: 0035-8711
citation:        Van Breukelen, C.;    Jarvis, M.J.;    Venemans, B.P.;      (2005)    The luminosity function of Lyα emitters at 2.3 < z < 4.6 from integral-field spectroscopy.                   Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , 359  (3)   pp. 895-905.    10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08916.x <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08916.x>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10126/1/10126.pdf