Matthew Hayes

On the Redshift Evolution of the Lyα Escape Fraction and the Dust Content of Galaxies

The Lyα emission line has been proven to be a powerful tool for studying evolving galaxies at the highest redshift. However, in order to use Lyα as a physical probe of galaxies, it becomes vital to know the Lyα escape fraction (f^(Lyα)_(esc)). Unfortunately, due to the resonant nature of Lyα, f^(Lyα)_(esc) may vary unpredictably and requires empirical measurement. Here, we compile Lyα luminosity functions (LFs) between redshifts z = 0 and 8 and, combined with Hα and ultraviolet data, assess how f^(Lyα)_(esc) evolves with redshift. We find a strong upward evolution in f^(Lyα)_(esc) over the range z = 0.3-6, which is well fit by the power law f^(Lyα)_(esc)α(1 + z)^ξwith ξ = (2.57^(+0.19)_(–0.12)). This predicts that f^(Lyα)_(esc) should reach unity at z = 11.1. By comparing f^(Lyα)_(esc) and E_(B–V) in individual galaxies we derive an empirical relationship between f^(Lyα)_(esc) and E_(B–V) , which includes resonance scattering and can explain the redshift evolution of f^(Lyα)_(esc) between z = 0 and 6 purely as a function of the evolution in the dust content of galaxies. Beyond z ≈ 6.5, f^(Lyα)_(esc) drops more substantially, an effect attributed to either ionizing photon leakage, or an increase in the neutral gas fraction of the intergalactic medium. While distinguishing between these two scenarios may be extremely challenging, by framing the problem this way we remove the uncertainty of the halo mass from Lyα-based tests of reionization. We finally derive a new method by which to estimate the dust content of galaxies, based purely upon the observed Lyα and UV LFs. These data are characterized by an exponential with an e-folding scale of z_(EBV) ≈ 3.4.

Escape of about five per cent of Lyman-alpha photons from high-redshift star-forming galaxies.

The Lyman-α (Lyα) emission line is the primary observational signature of star-forming galaxies at the highest redshifts, and has enabled the compilation of large samples of galaxies with which to study cosmic evolution. The resonant nature of the line, however, means that Lyα photons scatter in the neutral interstellar medium of their host galaxies, and their sensitivity to absorption by interstellar dust may therefore be greatly enhanced. This implies that the Lyα luminosity may be significantly reduced, or even completely suppressed. Hitherto, no unbiased empirical test of the escaping fraction (fesc) of Lyα photons has been performed at high redshifts. Here we report that the average fesc from star-forming galaxies at redshift z = 2.2 is just 5 per cent by performing a blind narrowband survey in Lyα and Hα. This implies that numerous conclusions based on Lyα-selected samples will require upwards revision by an order of magnitude and we provide a benchmark for this revision. We demonstrate that almost 90 per cent of star-forming galaxies emit insufficient Lyα to be detected by standard selection criteria. Both samples show an anti-correlation of fesc with dust content, and we show that Lyα- and Hα-selection recovers populations that differ substantially in dust content and fesc.

THE LYMAN ALPHA MORPHOLOGY OF LOCAL STARBURST GALAXIES: RELEASE OF CALIBRATED IMAGES

We present reduced and calibrated high resolution Lyman-alpha (Lyα) images for a sample of six local star-forming galaxies. Targets were selected to represent a range in luminosity and metallicity ...

Escape of Lyman continuum radiation from local galaxies - Detection of leakage from the young starburst Tol 1247-232

Context. It has been suggested that the escape fraction of hydrogen ionizing photons (f(esc)) from galaxies is evolving with time, but the picture is far from clear. While evidence for significant ...

On the detectability of Ly

Context: Lyman-alpha (Lyα) radiation is now widely used to investigate the galaxy formation and evolution in the high redshift universe. However, without a rigorous understanding of the processes regulating the Lyα escape fraction, physical interpretations of high-z observations remain questionable. Aims: We examine six nearby star forming galaxies to disentangle the role of the dust from other parameters such as gas kinematics, geometry, and ISM morphology in the obscuration of Lyα. Thereby, we attempt to understand the Lyα escape physics and infer the implications for high-redshift studies. Methods: We use HST/ACS imaging to produce continuum-subtracted Lyα maps, and ground-based observations (ESO/NTT and NOT) to map the Hα emission and the extinction E(B-V) in the gas phase derived from the Balmer decrement Hα/Hβ. Results: When large outflows are present, the Lyα emission does not appear to be correlated with the dust content, confirming the role of the Hi kinematics in the escape of Lyα photons. In the case of a dense, static Hi covering, we observe a damped absorption with a negative correlation between Lyα and E(B-V). We found that the Lyα escape fraction does not exceed 10% in all our galaxies and is mostly about 3% or below. Finally, because of the radiative transfer complexity of the Lyα line, star formation rate based on Lyα luminosity is underestimated with respect to that derived from UV luminosity. Simple reddening correction does not reconcile SFR(Lyα) with the total star formation rate. Conclusions: The dust is not necessarily the main Lyα escape regulatory factor. ISM kinematics and geometry may play a more significant role. The failure of simple dust correction to recover the intrinsic Lyα/Hα ratio or the total star formation rate should prompt us to be more cautious when interpreting high-z observations and related properties, such as SFRs based on Lyα alone. To this end, we propose a more realistic calibration for SFR(Lyα), which accounts for dust attenuation and resonant scattering effects via the Lyα escape fraction.

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Aims. We propose to infer the output of the ionising continuum-leaking properties of galaxies based upon their Ly line profiles. Methods. We carried out Ly radiation transfer calculations in two models of Hii regions. These models are porous to ionising continuum escape: 1) we define Lyman-continuum (LyC) optically thin star clusters, in which massive stars produce enough ionising photons to keep the surrounding interstellar medium transparent to the ionising continuum, in other words, almost totally ionised, and 2) we define riddled ionisation-bounded media that are surrounded by neutral interstellar medium, but have holes, which results in a covering fraction lower than unity. Results. The Ly spectra that emerge from these configurations have distinctive features: 1) a classical asymmetric redshifted profile in the first case, but with a small shift of the profile maximum compared to the systemic redshift (vpeak 150 km s 1 ); 2) a main peak at the systemic redshift in the second case (vpeak = 0), with a non-zero Ly flux bluewards of the systemic redshift as a consequence. If in a galaxy that leaks ionising photons the Ly component that emerges from the leaking star cluster(s) is assumed to dominate the total Ly spectrum, the Ly shape may be used as a pre-selection tool for detecting LyC-leaking galaxies in objects with high spectral resolution Ly spectra (R 4000). Our predictions are corroborated by examination of a sample of ten local starbursts with high-resolution HST/COS Ly spectra that are known in the literature as LyC leakers or leaking candidates. Conclusions. Observations of Ly profiles at high resolution are expected to show definite signatures revealing the escape of Lymancontinuum photons from star-forming galaxies.

emission in star forming galaxies - The role of dust

We have used multiband imaging to investigate the nature of an extreme starburst environment in the nearby Lyman break galaxy analogue Haro 11 (ESO350-IG038) by means of its stellar cluster population. The central starburst region has been observed in eight different high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) wavebands, sampling the stellar and gas components from UV to near-infrared. Photometric imaging of the galaxy was also carried out at 2.16μm by NaCo AO instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. We constructed integrated spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for about 200 star clusters located in the active star-forming regions and compared them with single stellar population models (suitable for physical properties of very young cluster population) in order to derive ages, masses and extinctions of the star clusters. The cluster age distribution we recover confirms that the present starburst has lasted for 40Myr, and shows a peak of cluster formation only 3.5 Myr old. With such an extremely young cluster population, Haro 11 represents a unique opportunity to investigate the youngest phase of the cluster formation process and evolution in starburst systems. We looked for possible relations between cluster ages, extinctions and masses. Extinction tends to diminish as a function of the cluster age, but the spread is large and reaches the highest dispersion for clusters in partial embedded phases ( 8000A which cannot be explained by simple stellar evolutionary models. Fitting SED models over all wavebands leads to systematic overestimates of cluster ages and incorrect masses for the stellar population supplying the light in these clusters. We show that the red excess affects also the HST F814W filter, which is typically used to constrain cluster physical properties. The clusters which show the red excess are younger than 40Myr we discuss possible physical explanations for the phenomenon. Finally, we estimate that Haro 11 has produced bound clusters at a rate almost a factor of 10 higher than the massive and regular spirals, like the Milky Way. The present cluster formation efficiency is ~38 per cent of the galactic star formation rate.

Using Lyman-α to detect galaxies that leak Lyman continuum

The Lyman-alpha (Lya) recombination line is a fundamental tool for galaxy evolution studies and modern observational cosmology. However, subsequent interpretations are still prone to a number of uncertainties. Besides numerical efforts, empirical data are urgently needed for a better understanding of Lya escape process. We empirically estimate the Lyman-alpha escape fraction fesc(Lya) in a statistically significant sample of z ~ 0 - 0.3 galaxies in order to calibrate high-redshift Lyman-alpha observations. An optical spectroscopic follow-up of a sub-sample of 24 Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) detected by GALEX at z ~ 0.2-0.3, combined with a UV-optical sample of local starbursts, both with matched apertures, allow us to quantify the dust extinction through Balmer lines, and to estimate the Lyman-alpha escape fraction from the Halpha flux corrected for extinction in the framework of the recombination theory. The global escape fraction of Lyman-alpha radiation spans nearly the entire range of values, from 0.5 to 100 %, and fesc(Lya) clearly decreases with increasing nebular dust extinction E(B-V). Several objects show fesc(Lya) greater than fesc(continuum) which may be an observational evidence for clumpy ISM geometry or for an aspherical ISM. Selection biases and aperture size effects may still prevail between z ~ 0.2-0.3 LAEs and local starbursts, which may explain the difference observed for fesc(Lya).

Super star clusters in Haro 11: properties of a very young starburst and evidence for a near-infrared flux excess

We report new results regarding the Ly alpha output of galaxies, derived from the Lyman Alpha Reference Sample, and focused on Hubble Space Telescope imaging. For 14 galaxies we present intensity images in Ly alpha, H alpha, and UV, and maps of H alpha/H beta, Ly alpha equivalent width (EW), and Ly alpha/H alpha. We present Ly alpha and UV radial light profiles and show they are well-fitted by Sersic profiles, but Ly alpha profiles show indices systematically lower than those of the UV (n approximate to 1-2 instead of greater than or similar to 4). This reveals a general lack of the central concentration in Ly alpha that is ubiquitous in the UV. Photometric growth curves increase more slowly for Ly alpha than the far ultraviolet, showing that small apertures may underestimate the EW. For most galaxies, however, flux and EW curves flatten by radii approximate to 10 kpc, suggesting that if placed at high-z only a few of our galaxies would suffer from large flux losses. We compute global properties of the sample in large apertures, and show total Ly alpha luminosities to be independent of all other quantities. Normalized Ly alpha throughput, however, shows significant correlations: escape is found to be higher in galaxies of lower star formation rate, dust content, mass, and nebular quantities that suggest harder ionizing continuum and lower metallicity. Six galaxies would be selected as high-z Ly alpha emitters, based upon their luminosity and EW. We discuss the results in the context of high-z Ly alpha and UV samples. A few galaxies have EWs above 50 angstrom, and one shows f(esc)(Ly alpha) of 80%; such objects have not previously been reported at low-z.

Empirical estimate of Lyα escape fraction in a statistical sample of Lyα emitters

Context. Lyα is a key diagnostic for numerous observations of distant star-forming galaxies, but detailed radiation transfer models are required for interpreting them. Aims: We provide an extensive grid of 3D radiation transfer models that simulate the Lyα and UV continuum radiation transfer in the interstellar medium of star-forming galaxies. Methods: We have improved our Monte Carlo McLya code and used it to compute a grid of 6240 radiation transfer models for homogeneous spherical shells containing Hi and dust surrounding a central source. The simulations cover a wide range of parameter space. We present the detailed predictions from our models including in particular the Lyα escape fraction fesc, the continuum attenuation, and detailed Lyα line profiles. Results: The Lyα escape fraction is shown to depend strongly on dust content, but also on other parameters (Hi column density and radial velocity). The predicted line profiles show a wide diversity of morphologies, ranging from broad absorption lines to emission lines with complex features. The results from our simulations are distributed in electronic format. Conclusions: Our models should be of use for interpreting observations from distant galaxies, for other simulations, and should also serve as an important basis for comparison for future, more refined, radiation transfer models. Full Table 2 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/531/A12