An Ultraviolet Ultra-luminous Lyman Break Galaxy at Z = 2.78 in NDWFS Boötes Field
Abstract
We present one of the most ultraviolet (UV) luminous Lyman break galaxies (LBGs; J1432+3358) at z = 2.78, discovered in the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Boötes field. The R-band magnitude of J1432+3358 is 22.29 AB, more than two magnitudes brighter than typical L* LBGs at this redshift. The deep z-band image reveals two components of J1432+3358 separated by 1farcs0 with a flux ratio of 3:1. The high signal-to-noise ratio rest-frame UV spectrum shows Lyα emission line and interstellar medium absorption lines. The absence of N V and C IV emission lines, and the non-detection in X-ray and radio wavelengths and mid-infrared (MIR) colors indicates weak or no active galactic nuclei (<10%) in this galaxy. The galaxy shows a broader line profile, with a FWHM of about 1000 km s-1 and a larger outflow velocity (≈500 km s-1) than those of typical z ~ 3 LBGs. The physical properties are derived by fitting the spectral energy distribution (SED) with stellar synthesis models. The dust extinction, E(B - V) = 0.12, is similar to that in normal LBGs. The star formation rates (SFRs) derived from the SED fitting and the dust-corrected UV flux are consistent with each other, ~300 M ⊙ yr-1, and the stellar mass is (1.3 ± 0.3) × 1011 M ⊙. The SFR and stellar mass in J1432+3358 are about an order of magnitude higher than those in normal LBGs. The SED-fitting results support that J1432+3358 has a continuous star formation history, with a star formation episode of 6.3 × 108 yr. The morphology of J1432+3358 and its physical properties suggest that J1432+3358 is in an early phase of a 3:1 merger process. The unique properties and the low space number density (~10-7 Mpc-3) are consistent with the interpretation that such galaxies are either found in a short unobscured phase of the star formation or that a small fraction of intensive star-forming galaxies are unobscured.
Based on (in part) data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.- Publication:
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The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/757/2/139
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1208.0607
- Bibcode:
- 2012ApJ...757..139B
- Keywords:
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- galaxies: high-redshift;
- galaxies: individual: J1432+3358;
- galaxies: star formation;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 5 figures, and 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ