Probing the Rest-Frame Optical Continuum of z=4.5 Lyman Alpha Emitters with Spitzer
Abstract
We present the results from a deep Spitzer Space Telescope survey of more than 100 Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) at z 4.5, first discovered in the Bootes field of the Large Area Lyman Alpha (LALA) survey. These Spitzer/IRAC observations probe the rest-frame optical continuum emission of these galaxies. We also have in hand NICMOS and WFC3 near-infrared (NIR) data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of a sub-sample of these same galaxies. Of the more than 100 sources targeted with Spitzer, 15 sources are detected in at least two out of the four NICMOS/WFC3 and IRAC bands (1.1, 1.6, 3.6 and 4.5 microns), while another 40 sources are detected in one band. We will present the results from a SED-fitting analysis, using the suite of data in the observed NIR/mid-IR, coupled with deep ground based optical data. LAEs form the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function, thus most studies rely on stacking to constrain the rest-frame optical light, which can wash out variations in the physical properties in individual LAEs. This is the largest sample to date of high-redshift LAEs with measured NIR/IR fluxes, allowing us to place the most robust constraints yet on the spread of physical properties in the LAE population.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #219
- Pub Date:
- January 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AAS...21934007F