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Hsiao-Wen Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Hsiao-Wen Chen.

174 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Clustering of Very Red Galaxies in the Las Campanas IR Survey

We report results from the first 1000 square arc-minutes of the Las Campanas IR survey. We have imaged 1 square degree of high latitude sky in six distinct fields to a 5-sigma H-band depth of 20.5 (Vega). Optical imaging in the V,R,I,and z' bands allow us to select color subsets and photometric-redshift-defined shells. We show that the angular clustering of faint red galaxies (18 < H < 20.5, I - H > 3) is an order of magnitude stronger than that of the complete H-selected field sample. We employ three approaches to estimate $n(z)$ in order to invert w(theta) to derive r_0. We find that our n(z) is well described by a Gaussian with = 1.2, sigma(z) = 0.15. From this we derive a value for r_0 of 7 (+2,-1) co-moving H^{-1} Mpc at = 1.2. This is a factor of ~ 2 larger than the clustering length for Lyman break galaxies and is similar to the expectation for early type galaxies at this epoch.

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The Origin of a Chemically Enriched lya Absorption System at z=0.167

We present the first detailed analysis of the chemical abundances, ionization state, and origin of a partial Lyman limit system (N(\hI) ~ 10^{16} \cmjj) at low redshift (z=0.167 towards PKS0405-1219). Two galaxies at ~ 70 h^{-1} kpc projected distance to the QSO have been identified at the absorber redshift. We analyze an echelle spectrum of the QSO obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and find that this absorption system exhibits associated lines produced by C^+, N^+, O^0, Si^+, Si^{++}, Si^{+3}, Fe^+, and Fe^{++}, and most interestingly, O^{+5} and N^{+4}. The results of our analysis show that the partial Lyman limit system traced by various ions is likely to be embedded in a collisionally ionized \ovi gas of larger spatial extent. Furthermore, the partial Lyman limit system appears to have a metallicity of {\em at least} 1/10 solar and most likely solar or super solar despite the fact that no luminous galaxies are seen within a projected distance ρ= 60 h^{-1} kpc to the QSO. Finally, adopting the temperature estimated for the hot gas T ~ 2.5\times 10^5 K and assuming a simple isothermal halo, we estimate that the galaxy or galaxy group that supports the extended gas may have a total mass ~ 1.5\times 10^{12} M_\odot and a gas number density \apl 3\times 10^{-5} cm^{-3}.

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Photometry and Photometric Redshifts of Faint Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South NICMOS Field

We present a catalog of photometry and photometric redshifts of 335 faint objects in the HDF-S NICMOS field. The analysis is based on (1) infrared images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph (NICMOS) with the F110W, F160W, and F222M filters, (2) an optical image obtained with HST using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) with no filter, and (3) optical images obtained with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) with U, B, V, R, and I filters. The primary utility of the catalog of photometric redshifts is as a survey of faint galaxies detected in the NICMOS F160W and F222M images. The sensitivity of the survey varies significantly with position, reaching a limiting depth of AB(16,000) ~ 28.7 and covering 1.01 arcmin^2 to AB(16,000) = 27 and 1.05 arcmin^2 to AB(16,000) = 26.5. The catalog of photometric redshifts identifies 21 galaxies (or 6% of the total) of redshift z > 5, 8 galaxies (or 2% of the total) of redshift z > 10, and 11 galaxies (or 3% of the total) of best-fit spectral type E/S0, of which 5 galaxies (or 1% of the total) are of redshift z > 1.

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The Origin of \lya Absorption Systems at $z>1$---Implications from the Hubble Deep Field

The Hubble Deep Field images have provided us with a unique chance to relate statistical properties of high-redshift galaxies to statistical properties of \lya absorption systems. Combining an {\em empirical} measure of the galaxy surface density versus redshift with an {\em empirical} measure of the gaseous extent of galaxies, we predict the number density of \lya absorption systems that originate in extended gaseous envelopes of galaxies versus redshift. We show that at least 50% and as much as 100% of observed \lya absorption systems of $W\apg0.32$ Åcan be explained by extended gaseous envelops of galaxies. Therefore, we conclude that known galaxies of known gaseous extent must produce a significant fraction and perhaps all of \lya absorption systems over a large redshift range.

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Galaxies of Redshift z > 5: The View from Stony Brook

We report on some aspects of our efforts to establish properties of the extremely faint galaxy population by applying our photometric redshift technique to the HDF and HDF-S WFPC2 and NICMOS fields. We find that cosmological surface brightness dimming effects play a dominant role in setting what is observed at redshifts z > 2, that the comoving number density of high intrinsic surface brightness regions increases monotonically with increasing redshift, and that previous estimates neglect a significant or dominant fraction of the ultraviolet luminosity density of the universe due to surface brightness effects. The ultraviolet luminosity density of the universe plausibly increases monotonically with increasing redshift to redshifts beyond z = 5.

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Photometric/Spectroscopic Redshift Identification of Faint Galaxies in STIS Slitless Spectroscopy Observations

We present a new spectrum extraction technique which employs optimal weights for the spectral extraction, deblends the overlapping spectra, determines the precise sky background, and takes into account correlations between errors correctly for STIS slitless observations. We obtained roughly 250 optimally extracted spectra in a deep STIS field as well as self-confirming redshift measurements for these objects, including a galaxy at $z=6.68$. In addition, we identified five isolated emission-line objects in the dispersed image that were not accounted for by objects detected in the direct image. Assuming that these are \lya\ emission line galaxies at high redshifts and adopting a simple $δ$-function galaxy luminosity function for these objects, we find, based on a likelihood analysis, that \lya\ emission line galaxies at $\langle z\rangle\approx 4.69$ may contribute at most 15\% of the star formation rate density measured in Lyman break galaxies at $z\approx 4$.

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A Spectroscopically Identified Galaxy of Probable Redshift z = 6.68

The detection and identification of distant galaxies is a prominent goal of observational cosmology because distant galaxies are seen as they were in the distant past and hence probe early galaxy formation, due to the cosmologically significant light travel time. We have sought to identify distant galaxies in very deep spectroscopy by combining a new spectrum extraction technique with photometric and spectroscopic analysis techniques. Here we report the identification of a galaxy of redshift z = 6.68, which is the most distant object ever identified. The spectrum of the galaxy is characterized by an abrupt discontinuity at wavelength $λ\approx 9300$ Å, which we interpret as the \lya decrement (produced by intervening Hydrogen absorption), and by an emission line at wavelength $λ\approx 9334$, which we interpret as \lya. The galaxy is relatively bright, and the ultraviolet luminosity density contributed by the galaxy alone is almost ten times the value measured at $z \approx 3$.

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Photometry and Photometric Redshifts of Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South Nicmos Field

We present an electronic catalog of infrared and optical photometry and photometric redshifts of 323 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South NICMOS field at http://www.ess.sunysb.edu/astro/hdfs/home.html. The analysis is based on infrared images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope using the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph together with optical images obtained with the Very Large Telescope. The infrared and optical photometry is measured by means of a new quasi-optimal photometric technique that fits model spatial profiles of the galaxies determined by Pixon image reconstruction techniques to the images. In comparison with conventional methods, the new technique provides higher signal-to-noise-ratio measurements and accounts for uncertainty correlations between nearby, overlapping neighbors. The photometric redshifts are measured by means of our redshift likelihood technique, incorporating six spectrophotometric templates which, by comparison with spectroscopic redshifts of galaxies identified in the Hubble Deep Field North, are known to provide redshift measurements accurate to within an RMS relative uncertainty of (Delta z)/(1 + z) < 0.1 at all redshifts z < 6. The analysis reaches a peak H-band sensitivity threshold of AB(16000) = 28.3 and covers 1.02 acrmin^2 to AB(16000) = 27, 1.27 arcmin^2 to AB(16000) = 26, and 1.44 arcmin^2 to AB(16000) = 25. The analysis identifies galaxies at redshifts ranging from z near 0 through z greater than 10, including 17 galaxies of redshift 5 < z < 10 and five candidate galaxies of redshift z > 10.

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Constraints on the Unseen Galaxy Population from the Lyman-alpha Forest

Here we describe results of our attempt to determine what types of galaxies are responsible for the Lyman-alpha forest absorption systems, based on our ongoing imaging and spectroscopic survey of faint galaxies in fields of HST spectroscopic target QSOs. Our primary conclusions are that the bulk of the Lyman-alpha forest arises in more or less normal galaxies (that span the normal range of luminosity and morphology) and that any ``unseen'' low surface brightness galaxies are unlikely to contribute significantly to the luminosity density of the universe.

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Galaxies at Redshifts z > 5

Here we describe our attempts to establish statistically complete samples of very high redshift galaxies by obtaining photometric redshifts of galaxies in Medium Deep Survey (MDS) fields and photometric and spectroscopic redshifts of galaxies in very deep STIS slitless spectroscopy fields. On the basis of this analysis, we have identified galaxies of redshift z = 4.92 in an MDS field and of redshift z = 6.68 in a very deep STIS field.

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Damped Lyman-alpha Absorption Associated with an Early-Type Galaxy at Redshift z = 0.16377

We report new HST and ground-based observations of a damped Lyman-alpha absorption system toward the QSO 0850+4400. The redshift of the absorption system is z = 0.163770 and the neutral hydrogen column density of the absorption system is log N = 19.81 cm**-2. The absorption system is by far the lowest redshift confirmed damped Lyman-alpha absorption system yet identified, which provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine the nature, impact geometry, and kinematics of the absorbing galaxy in great detail. The observations indicate that the absorption system is remarkable in three respects: First, the absorption system is characterized by weak metal absorption lines and a low metal abundance, possibly less than 4% of the solar metal abundance. This cannot be explained as a consequence of dust, because the neutral hydrogen column density of the absorption system is far too low for obscuration by dust to introduce any significant selection effects. Second, the absorption system is associated with a moderate-luminosity early-type S0 galaxy, although the absorption may actually arise in one of several very faint galaxies detected very close to the QSO line of sight. Third, the absorbing material moves counter to the rotating galaxy disk, which rules out the possibility that the absorption arises in a thin or thick co-rotating gaseous disk. These results run contrary to the expectation that low-redshift damped Lyman-alpha absorption systems generally arise in the gas- and metal-rich inner parts of late-type spiral galaxies. We suggest instead that mounting evidence indicates that low-redshift galaxies of a variety of morphological types may contain significant quantities of low metal abundance gas at large galactocentric distances.

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