Measuring Mass In The WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallels Survey
Abstract
The WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallel (WISP) Survey is using 500 HST orbits to study the epoch of peak star formation. Its slitless grism spectroscopy over a wide, continuous spectral range (0.8-1.7 micron) provides an unbiased selection of thousands of emission?line galaxies over 0.5 < z < 2.5. Hundreds of these galaxies are detected in multiple emission lines, allowing for important diagnostics of metallicity and dust extinction. We propose deep 3.6 micron imaging (5 sigma, 0.9 micro-Jy) of all 62 of the WISP fields observed with the combination of G102+G141 grisms, in order to detect emission-line galaxies down to 0.1 L*. Combined with our optical and near?IR photometry, these IRAC data will be critical to determining accurate stellar masses for both passive and active galaxies in our survey. We will determine the evolution of the faint end slope of the stellar mass function and the mass-metallicity relation down to low-mass galaxies, including measurement of a possible mass-metallicity-SFR fundamental plane. The addition of the IRAC photometry will also provide much stronger constraints on dust extinction and star formation history, especially when combined with information available from the emission lines themselves. Finally, it will also allow us to constrain the properties of stellar populations in luminous z>6 Lyman alpha-emitters.
- Publication:
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Spitzer Proposal
- Pub Date:
- May 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011sptz.prop80134C