arXiv subjects

Anne Verhamme

Publications and source records attributed to Anne Verhamme.

83 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

The Lyman alpha Reference Sample: II. HST imaging results, integrated properties and trends

We report upon new results regarding the Lya output of galaxies, derived from the Lyman alpha Reference Sample (LARS), focusing on Hubble Space Telescope imaging. For 14 galaxies we present intensity images in Lya, Halpha, and UV, and maps of Halpha/Hbeta, Lya equivalent width (EW), and Lya/Halpha. We present Lya and UV light profiles and show they are well-fitted by Sérsic profiles, but Lya profiles show indices systematically lower than those of the UV (n approx 1-2 instead of >~4). This reveals a general lack of the central concentration in Lya that is ubiquitous in the UV. Photometric growth curves increase more slowly for Lya than the FUV, showing that small apertures may underestimate the EW. For most galaxies, however, flux and EW curves flatten by radii ~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 luminosities to be independent of all other quantities. Normalized Lya throughput, however, shows significant correlations: escape is found to be higher in galaxies of lower star formation rate, dust content, mass, and several quantities that suggest harder ionizing continuum and lower metallicity. Eight galaxies could be selected as high-z Lya emitters, based upon their luminosity and EW. We discuss the results in the context of high-z Lya and UV samples. A few galaxies have EWs above 50 AA, and one shows f_escLya of 80%; such objects have not previously been reported at low-z.

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arXiv2013

The Lyman alpha Reference Sample: Extended Lyman alpha Halos Produced at Low Dust Content

We report on new imaging observations of the Lyman alpha emission line (Lya), performed with the Hubble Space Telescope, that comprise the backbone of the Lyman alpha Reference Sample (LARS). We present images of 14 starburst galaxies at redshifts 0.028 < z < 0.18 in continuum-subtracted Lya, Halpha, and the far ultraviolet continuum. We show that Lya is emitted on scales that systematically exceed those of the massive stellar population and recombination nebulae: as measured by the Petrosian 20 percent radius, RP20, Lya radii are larger than those of Halpha by factors ranging from 1 to 3.6, with an average of 2.4. The average ratio of Lya-to-FUV radii is 2.9. This suggests that much of the Lya light is pushed to large radii by resonance scattering. Defining the "Relative Petrosian Extension" of Lya compared to Halpha, ξ_ext = RP20_Lya / RP20_Ha, we find ξ_ext to be uncorrelated with total Lya luminosity. However ξ_ext is strongly correlated with quantities that scale with dust content, in the sense that a low dust abundance is a necessary requirement (although not the only one) in order to spread Lya photons throughout the interstellar medium and drive a large extended Lya halo.

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arXiv2012

Lyman-alpha emission properties of simulated galaxies: interstellar medium structure and inclination effects

[abridged] Aims. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of the interstellar medium (ISM) physics on Lyman-alpha (Lya) radiation transfer and to quantify how galaxy orientation with respect to the line of sight alters observational signatures. Methods. We compare the results of Lya radiation transfer calculations through the ISM of a couple of idealized galaxy simulations with different ISM models. Results. First, the small-scale structuration of the ISM plays a determinant role in shaping a galaxys Lya properties.The artificially warm, and hence smooth, ISM of G1 yields an escape fraction of 50 percent at the Lya line center, and produces symmetrical double-peak profiles. On the contrary, in G2, most young stars are embedded in thick star-forming clouds, and the result is a 10 times lower escape fraction. G2 also displays a stronger outflowing velocity field, which favors the escape of red-shifted photons, resulting in an asymmetric Lya line. Second, the Lya properties of G2 strongly depend on the inclination at which it is observed: From edge-on to face-on, the line goes from a double-peak profile with an equivalent width of -5 Angstrom to a 15 times more luminous red-shifted asymmetric line with EW 90 Angstrom. Conclusions. Lya radiation transfer calculations can only lead to realistic properties in simulations where galaxies are resolved into giant molecular clouds, putting these calculations out of reach of current large scale cosmological simulations. Finally, we find inclination effects to be much stronger for Lya photons than for continuum radiation. This could potentially introduce severe biases in the selection function of narrow-band Lya emitter surveys, which could indeed miss a significant fraction of the high-z galaxy population.

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arXiv2012

Modelling high redshift Lyman-alpha Emitters

We present a new model for high redshift Lyman-Alpha Emitters (LAEs) in the cosmological context which takes into account the resonant scattering of Ly-a photons through expanding gas. The GALICS semi-analytic model provides us with the physical properties of a large sample of high redshift galaxies. We implement a gas outflow model for each galaxy based on simple scaling arguments. The coupling with a library of numerical experiments of Ly-a transfer through expanding or static dusty shells of gas allows us to derive the Ly-a escape fractions and profiles. The predicted distribution of Ly-a photons escape fraction shows that galaxies with a low star formation rate have a f_esc of the order of unity, suggesting that, for those objects, Ly-a may be used to trace the star formation rate assuming a given conversion law. In galaxies forming stars intensely, the escape fraction spans the whole range from 0 to 1. The model is able to get a good match to the UV and Ly-a luminosity function (LF) data at 3 < z < 5. We find that we are in good agreement with both the bright Ly-a data and the faint population observed by Rauch et al. (2008) at z=3. Most of the Ly-a profiles of our LAEs are redshifted by the diffusion in the outflow which suppresses IGM absorption. The bulk of the observed Ly-a equivalent width (EW) distribution is recovered by our model, but we fail to obtain the very large values sometimes detected. Predictions for stellar masses and UV LFs of LAEs show a satisfactory agreement with observational estimates. The UV-brightest galaxies are found to show only low Ly-a EWs in our model, as it is reported by many observations of high redshift LAEs. We interpret this effect as the joint consequence of old stellar populations hosted by UV-bright galaxies, and high HI column densities that we predict for these objects, which quench preferentially resonant Ly-a photons via dust extinction.

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arXiv2011

Grid of Lya radiation transfer models for the interpretation of distant galaxies

Lya is a key diagnostic for numerous observations of distant star-forming galaxies. It's interpretation requires, however, detailed radiation transfer models. We provide an extensive grid of 3D radiation transfer models simulating the Lya and UV continuum radiation transfer in the interstellar medium of star-forming galaxies. We have improved our Monte Carlo MCLya code, and have 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 Lya escape fraction fesc, the continuum attenuation, and detailed Lya line profiles. The Lya 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 great diversity of morphologies ranging from broad absorption lines to emission lines with complex features. The results from our simulations are distributed in electronic format. Our models should be of use for the interpretation of observations from distant galaxies, for other simulations, and should also serve as an important base for comparison for future, more refined, radiation transfer models.

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arXiv2010

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

The Lyman-alpha (Lya) 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 Lya photons scatter in the neutral interstellar medium of their host galaxies, and their sensitivity to absorption by interstellar dust may therefore be enhanced greatly. This implies that the Lya luminosity may be significantly reduced, or even completely suppressed. Hitherto, no unbiased empirical test of the escaping fraction (f_esc) of Lya 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 Lya and Ha. This implies that numerous conclusions based on Lya-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 Lya to be detected by standard selection criteria. Both samples show an anti-correlation of fesc with dust content, and we show that Lya- and Ha-selection recovers populations that differ substantially in dust content and fesc.

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arXiv2008

3D Lyman-alpha radiation transfer. III. Constraints on gas and stellar properties of z~3 Lyman break galaxies (LBG) and implications for high-z LBGs and Lyman-alpha emitters(LAEs)

The Aim of our study is to understand the variety of observed Lyman-alpha (Lya) line profiles and strengths in Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) and Lya emitters (LAEs), the physical parameters governing them, and hence deriving constraints on the gas and dust content and stellar populations of these objects. Using our 3D Lya radiation transfer code including gas and dust (Verhamme et al. 2006), we fit 11 LBGs from the FORS Deep Field with redshifts between 2.8 and 5 observed by Tapken et al. (2007). A simple geometry of a spherically expanding shell of HI is adopted. RESULTS : The variety of observed Lya profiles is successfully reproduced. Most objects show outflow velocities of 150-200 km/s; two objects are most likely quasi-static. The radial HI column density ranges from NH=2.10^{19} to 7.10^{20} cm^{-2}. Our Lya profile fits yield values of E(B-V)~0.05-0.2 for the gas extinction. We find indications for a dust-to-gas ratio higher than the Galactic value, and for a substantial scatter. The escape fraction of Lya photons is found to be determined primarily by the extinction, and a simple fit formula is proposed. Intrinsic EW(Lya)~50-100 Angstroms are found for 8/11 objects, as expected for stellar populations forming constantly over long periods (> 10-100 Myr). In three cases we found indications for younger populations. Correlations between the observed EW(Lya) and other observables such as FWHM(Lya), E(B-V),SFR(UV) etc, are reproduced. We also show that there is a clear overlap between LBGs and LAEs. Radiation transfer and dust effects explain the increase of the LAE/LBG ratio, and a higher percentage of LBGs with strong Lya emission with increasing redshift. [shortened]

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arXiv2008

3D Lya radiation transfer. II. Fitting the Lyman break galaxy MS 1512-cB58 and implications for Lya emission in high-z starbursts

Using our 3D Lya radiation transfer code, we compute the radiation transfer of Lya and UV continuum photons including dust. Observational constraints on the neutral gas (column density, kinematics, etc.) are taken from other analysis of this object. RESULTS: The observed Lya profile of MS 1512--cB58 is reproduced for the first time taking radiation transfer and all observational constraints into account. The observed absorption profile is found to result naturally from the observed amount of dust and the relatively high HI column density. Radiation transfer effects and suppresion by dust transform a strong intrinsic Lya emission with EW(Lya)>~ 60 Ang into the observed faint superposed Lya emission peak. We propose that the vast majority of LBGs have intrinsically EW(Lya)~60-80 Ang or larger, and that the main physical parameter responsible for the observed variety of Lya strengths and profiles in LBGs is N_H and the accompanying variation of the dust content. Observed EW(Lya) distributions, Lya luminosity functions, and related quantities must therefore be corrected for radiation transfer and dust effects. The implications from our scenario on the duty-cycle of Lya emitters are also discussed.

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arXiv2006

3D Lyman-alpha radiation transfer. I. Understanding Lyman-alpha line profile morphologies

Using a Monte Carlo technique, we have developed a 3D lyman-alpha radiation transfer code allowing for prescribed arbitrary hydrogen density, ionisation, temperature structures, and dust distribution, and arbitrary velocity fields and UV photon sources. We have examined the lyman-alpha line profiles predicted for several simple geometrical configurations and their dependence on the main input parameters. Overall, we find line profiles reaching from doubly peaked symmetric emission to symmetric Voigt (absorption) in static configurations with increasing dust content, and asymmetric red-(blue-) shifted emission lines with a blue (red) counterpart ranging from absorption to emission (with increasing line/continuum strength) in expanding (infalling) media. The following results are of interest for the interpretation of lya profiles from galaxies. 1/ Standard lya absorption line fitting of global spectra of galaxies may lead to an underestimate of the true hydrogen column density in certain geometrical conditions. 2/ Normal (inverted) P-Cygni like lya profiles can be obtained in expanding (infalling) media from objects without any intrinsic lya emission, as a natural consequence of radiation transfer effects. 3/ The formation and the detailed shape of lya profiles resulting from expanding shells has been thoroughly revised: for sufficiently large column densities, the position of the main lya emission peak is redshifted by twice the expansion velocity.This is in excellent agreement with the observations of z~3 LBGs. This finding indicates also that large scale, fairly symmetric shell structures must be a good description for the outflows in LBGs.(shortened abstract)

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arXiv2006

Astrocladistics: a phylogenetic analysis of galaxy evolution II. Formation and diversification of galaxies

This series of papers is intended to evaluate astrocladistics in reconstructing phylogenies of galaxies. The objective of this second paper is to formalize the concept of galaxy formation and to identify the processes of diversification. We show that galaxy diversity can be expected to organize itself in a hierarchy. In order to better understand the role of mergers, we have selected a sample of 43 galaxies from the GALICS database built from simulations with a hybrid model for galaxy formation studies. These simulated galaxies, described by 119 characters and considered as representing still undefined classes, have experienced different numbers of merger events during evolution. Our cladistic analysis yields a robust tree that proves the existence of a hierarchy. Mergers, like interactions (not taken into account in the GALICS simulations), are probably a strong driver for galaxy diversification. Our result shows that mergers participate in a branching type of evolution, but do not seem to play the role of an evolutionary clock.

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arXiv2006

Astrocladistics: a phylogenetic analysis of galaxy evolution I. Character evolutions and galaxy histories

This series of papers is intended to present astrocladistics in some detail and evaluate this methodology in reconstructing phylogenies of galaxies. Being based on the evolution of all the characters describing galaxies, it is an objective way of understanding galaxy diversity through evolutionary relationships. In this first paper, we present the basic steps of a cladistic analysis and show both theoretically and practically that it can be applied to galaxies. For illustration, we use a sample of 50 simulated galaxies taken from the GALICS database, which are described by 91 observables (dynamics, masses and luminosities). These 50 simulated galaxies are indeed 10 different galaxies taken at 5 cosmological epochs, and they are free of merger events. The astrocladistic analysis easily reconstructs the true chronology of evolution relationships within this sample. It also demonstrates that burst characters are not relevant for galaxy evolution as a whole. A companion paper is devoted to the formalization of the concepts of formation and diversification in galaxy evolution.

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