Rest-frame UV spectroscopy of extreme [O III] emitters at 1.3 < z < 3.7: toward a high-redshift UV reference sample for JWST

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Rest-frame UV spectroscopy of extreme [O III] emitters at 1.3 < z < 3.7: toward a high-redshift UV reference sample for JWST

Tang, M; Stark, D; Chevallard, J; Charlot, S; Endsley, R; Congiu, E; (2021) Rest-frame UV spectroscopy of extreme [O III] emitters at 1.3 < z < 3.7: toward a high-redshift UV reference sample for JWST. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , 501 pp. 3238-3257. 10.1093/mnras/staa3454. Green open access

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Abstract

Deep spectroscopy of galaxies in the reionization era has revealed intense C III] and C IV line emission (equivalent width, EW >15–20 Å). In order to interpret the nebular emission emerging at z > 6, we have begun targeting rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) emission lines in galaxies with large specific star formation rates (sSFRs) at 1.3 < z < 3.7. We find that C III] reaches the EWs seen at z > 6 only in large sSFR galaxies with [O III]+Hβ EW >1500 Å. In contrast to previous studies, we find that many galaxies with intense [O III] have weak C III] emission (EW = 5–8 Å), suggesting that the radiation field associated with young stellar populations is not sufficient to power strong C III]. Photoionization models demonstrate that the spread in C III] among systems with large sSFRs ([O III]+Hβ EW >1500 Å) is driven by variations in metallicity, a result of the extreme sensitivity of C III] to electron temperature. We find that the strong C III] emission seen at z > 6 (EW >15 Å) requires metal-poor gas (≃ 0.1 Z⊙), whereas the weaker C III] emission in our sample tends to be found at moderate metallicities (≃ 0.3 Z⊙). The luminosity distribution of the C III] emitters in our z ≃ 1–3 sample presents a consistent picture, with stronger emission generally linked to low-luminosity systems (MUV > −19.5) where low metallicities are more likely. We quantify the fraction of strong C III] and C IV emitters at z ≃ 1–3, providing a baseline for comparison against z > 6 samples. We suggest that the first UV line detections at z > 6 can be explained if a significant fraction of the early galaxy population is found at large sSFR (>200 Gyr−1) and low metallicity (< 0.1 Z⊙).

Type:	Article
Title:	Rest-frame UV spectroscopy of extreme [O III] emitters at 1.3 < z < 3.7: toward a high-redshift UV reference sample for JWST
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI:	10.1093/mnras/staa3454
Publisher version:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa3454
Language:	English
Additional information:	This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords:	galaxies: evolution, galaxies: formation, cosmology: observations
UCL classification:	UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10116384