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Title:
Ages and Masses of Lyman Alpha Galaxies at z ˜ 4.5
Authors:
Finkelstein, Steven L.; Rhoads, J. E.; Malhotra, S.; Pirzkal, N.; Wang, J.
Affiliation:
AA(Arizona State Univ), AB(Arizona State Univ), AC(Arizona State Univ), AD(Space Telescope Science Institute), AE(University of Science and Technology of China, China)
Publication:
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #19.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.925
Publication Date:
12/2006
Origin:
AAS
Bibliographic Code:
2006AAS...209.1904F

Abstract

We examine the stellar populations of a sample of z 4.5 Lyman alpha emitting galaxies using their broadband colors derived from deep photometry at the MMT. These galaxies were selected by narrowband excess from the Large Area Lyman Alpha survey. The typical strength of the Lyman alpha emission line in these galaxies is greater than would be expected for a normal stellar population. This strong emission likely indicates ongoing star formation in young, possibly primitive, galaxies. Our field includes 98 Lyman alpha galaxy candidates, among which 22 show continuum detections based in two or more of our MMT filters (g', r', i' and z'). By comparing broad and narrowband colors of these galaxies to synthetic colors from stellar population models, we find their ages and masses. The highest equivalent width objects had a very young age of 4 Myr, consistent with ongoing star formation. The lowest EW objects had the oldest age (40 200 Myr), consistent with the expectation that a larger number of older stars are causing low EWs. We found masses ranging from 2 x 107 Mȯ for the youngest objects in the sample to 2 x 109 Mȯ for the oldest. It is possible that dust effects could produce large equivalent widths even in older populations by allowing the Lyman alpha photons to escape, even while the continuum is extinguished, and we present models for this scenario also.
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