Infrared Luminous Lyman Break Galaxies: A Population that Bridges LBGs and SCUBA Galaxies
Abstract
A deep mid- and far-infrared survey in the extended Groth strip (EGS) area gives 3.6 to 8 μm flux densities or upper limits for 253 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). The LBGs are a diverse population but with properties correlated with luminosity. The LBGs show a factor of 30 range in indicated stellar mass and a factor of 10 range in apparent dust content relative to stellar mass. About 5% of LBGs are luminous at all wavelengths, with powerful emission at rest 6 μm. In the rest 0.9 to 2 μm spectral range these galaxies have stellar spectral slopes with no sign of an AGN power-law component, suggesting that their emission is mainly powered by intensive star formation. Galaxies in this luminous population share the infrared properties of cold Submillimeter Common-User Bolometric Array (SCUBA) sources: both are massive and dusty starburst galaxies at 2<z<3 their stellar mass is larger than 1011 Msolar. We suggest that these galaxies are the progenitors of present-day giant elliptical galaxies, with a substantial fraction of their stars already formed at z~3.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- November 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1086/491697
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0507685
- Bibcode:
- 2005ApJ...634..137H
- Keywords:
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- Cosmology: Observations;
- Galaxies: High-Redshift;
- Infrared: Galaxies;
- Surveys;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted by ApJ