arXiv subjects

Janice C. Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Janice C. Lee.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

The Connection Between Galaxy Environment and the Luminosity Function Slopes of Star-Forming Regions

We present the first study of GALEX far ultra-violet (FUV) luminosity functions of individual star-forming regions within a sample of 258 nearby galaxies spanning a large range in total stellar mass and star formation properties. We identify ~65,000 star-forming regions (i.e., FUV sources), measure each galaxy's luminosity function, and characterize the relationships between the luminosity function slope (alpha) and several global galaxy properties. A final sample of 82 galaxies with reliable luminosity functions are used to define these relationships and represent the largest sample of galaxies with the largest range of galaxy properties used to study the connection between luminosity function properties and galaxy environment. We find that alpha correlates with global star formation properties, where galaxies with higher star formation rates and star formation rate densities (Sigma_SFR) tend to have flatter luminosity function slopes. In addition, we find that neither stochastic sampling of the luminosity function in galaxies with low-number statistics nor the effects of blending due to distance can fully account for these trends. We hypothesize that the flatter slopes in high Sigma_SFR galaxies is due to higher gas densities and higher star formation efficiencies which result in proportionally greater numbers of bright star-forming regions. Finally, we create a composite luminosity function composed of star-forming regions from many galaxies and find a break in the luminosity function at brighter luminosities. However, we find that this break is an artifact of varying detection limits for galaxies at different distances.

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arXiv2016

Direct Detection of Lyman Continuum Escape from Local Starburst Galaxies with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph

We report on the detection of Lyman continuum radiation in two nearby starburst galaxies. Tol 0440-381, Tol 1247-232 and Mrk 54 were observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescopes. The three galaxies have radial velocities of ~13,000 km/s, permitting a ~35 A window on the restframe Lyman continuum shortward of the Milky Way Lyman edge at 912 A. The chosen instrument configuration using the G140L grating covers the spectral range from 912 to 2,000 Å. We developed a dedicated background subtraction method to account for temporal and spatial background variations of the detector, which is crucial at the low flux levels around 912 A. This modified pipeline allowed us to significantly improve the statistical and systematic detector noise and will be made available to the community. We detect Lyman continuum in all three galaxies. However, we conservatively interpret the emission in Tol 0440-381 as an upper limit due to possible contamination by geocoronal Lyman series lines. We determined the current star-formation properties from the far-ultraviolet continuum and spectral lines and used synthesis models to predict the Lyman continuum radiation emitted by the current population of hot stars. We discuss the various model uncertainties such as, among others, atmospheres and evolution models. Lyman continuum escape fractions were derived from a comparison between the observed and predicted Lyman continuum fluxes. Tol 1247-232, Mrk 54 and Tol 0440-381 have absolute escape fractions of (4.5 +/- 1.2)%, (2.5 +/- 0.72)% and <(7.1 +/- 1.1)%, respectively.

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arXiv2016

A Deeper Look at Faint H$α$ Emission in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

We present deep H$α$ imaging of three nearby dwarf galaxies, carefully selected to optimize observations with the Maryland-Magellan Tunable Filter (MMTF) on the Magellan 6.5m telescope. An effective bandpass of $\sim$13Å is used, and the images reach 3$σ$ flux limits of $\sim$8$\times10^{-18}$ ergs s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, which is about an order of magnitude lower than standard narrowband observations obtained by the most recent generation of local H$α$ galaxy surveys. The observations were originally motivated by the finding that the H$α$/FUV flux ratio of galaxies systematically declines as global galactic properties such as the star formation rate and stellar mass decrease. The three dwarf galaxies selected for study have star formation rates, that when calculated from their H$α$ luminosities using standard conversion recipes, are $\sim$50\% of those based on the FUV. Follow-up studies of many of the potential causes for the trends in the H$α$/FUV flux ratio have been performed, but the possibility that previous observations have missed a non-negligible fraction of faint ionized emission in dwarf galaxies has not been investigated. The MMTF observations reveal both diffuse and structured H$α$ emission (filaments, shells, possible single-star HII regions) spanning extents up to 2.5 times larger relative to previous observations. However, only up to an additional $\sim5$\% of H$α$ flux is captured, which does not account for the trends in the H$α$/FUV ratio. Beyond investigation of the H$α$/FUV ratio, the impact of the newly detected extended flux on our understanding of star formation, the properties of HII regions, and the propagation of ionizing photons warrant further investigation.

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arXiv2015

Star Cluster Properties in Two LEGUS Galaxies Computed with Stochastic Stellar Population Synthesis Models

We investigate a novel Bayesian analysis method, based on the Stochastically Lighting Up Galaxies (slug) code, to derive the masses, ages, and extinctions of star clusters from integrated light photometry. Unlike many analysis methods, slug correctly accounts for incomplete IMF sampling, and returns full posterior probability distributions rather than simply probability maxima. We apply our technique to 621 visually-confirmed clusters in two nearby galaxies, NGC 628 and NGC 7793, that are part of the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS). LEGUS provides Hubble Space Telescope photometry in the NUV, U, B, V, and I bands. We analyze the sensitivity of the derived cluster properties to choices of prior probability distribution, evolutionary tracks, IMF, metallicity, treatment of nebular emission, and extinction curve. We find that slug's results for individual clusters are insensitive to most of these choices, but that the posterior probability distributions we derive are often quite broad, and sometimes multi-peaked and quite sensitive to the choice of priors. In contrast, the properties of the cluster population as a whole are relatively robust against all of these choices. We also compare our results from slug to those derived with a conventional non-stochastic fitting code, Yggdrasil. We show that slug's stochastic models are generally a better fit to the observations than the deterministic ones used by Yggdrasil. However, the overall properties of the cluster populations recovered by both codes are qualitatively similar.

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arXiv2015

Hierarchical Star Formation across the ring galaxy NGC 6503

We present a detailed clustering analysis of the young stellar population across the star-forming ring galaxy NGC 6503, based on the deep HST photometry obtained with the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS). We apply a contour-based map analysis technique and identify in the stellar surface density map 244 distinct star-forming structures at various levels of significance. These stellar complexes are found to be organized in a hierarchical fashion with 95% being members of three dominant super-structures located along the star-forming ring. The size distribution of the identified structures and the correlation between their radii and numbers of stellar members show power-law behaviors, as expected from scale-free processes. The self-similar distribution of young stars is further quantified from their autocorrelation function, with a fractal dimension of ~1.7 for length-scales between ~20 pc and 2.5 kpc. The young stellar radial distribution sets the extent of the star-forming ring at radial distances between 1 and 2.5 kpc. About 60% of the young stars belong to the detected stellar structures, while the remaining stars are distributed among the complexes, still inside the ring of the galaxy. The analysis of the time-dependent clustering of young populations shows a significant change from a more clustered to a more distributed behavior in a time-scale of ~60 Myr. The observed hierarchy in stellar clustering is consistent with star formation being regulated by turbulence across the ring. The rotational velocity difference between the edges of the ring suggests shear as the driving mechanism for this process. Our findings reveal the interesting case of an inner ring forming stars in a hierarchical fashion.

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arXiv2015

A Transition Mass in the Local Tully-Fisher Relation

We study the stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation (TFR, stellar mass versus rotation velocity) for a morphologically blind selection of emission line galaxies in the field at redshifts 0.1 $<$ z $<$ 0.375. Kinematics ($σ_g$, V$_{rot}$) are measured from emission lines in Keck/DEIMOS spectra and quantitative morphology is measured from V- and I-band Hubble images. We find a transition stellar mass in the TFR, $\log$ M$_*$ = 9.5 M$_{\odot}$. Above this mass, nearly all galaxies are rotation-dominated, on average more morphologically disk-like according to quantitative morphology, and lie on a relatively tight TFR. Below this mass, the TFR has significant scatter to low rotation velocity and galaxies can either be rotation-dominated disks on the TFR or asymmetric or compact galaxies which scatter off. We refer to this transition mass as the "mass of disk formation", M$_{\mathrm{df}}$ because above it all star-forming galaxies form disks (except for a small number of major mergers and highly star-forming systems), whereas below it a galaxy may or may not form a disk.

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arXiv2015

On the Mass-Metallicity-Star Formation Rate Relation for Galaxies at $z\sim 2$

Recent studies have shown that the local mass-metallicity (M-Z) relation depends on the specific star formation rate (SSFR). Whether such a dependence exists at higher redshifts, and whether the resulting M-Z-SFR relation is redshift invariant, is debated. We re-examine these issues by applying the non-parametric techniques of Salim et al. (2014) to ~130 $z\sim2.3$ galaxies with N2 and O3 measurements from KBSS (Steidel et al. 2014). We find that the KBSS M-Z relation depends on SSFR at intermediate masses, where such dependence exists locally. KBSS and SDSS galaxies of the same mass and SSFR ("local analogs") are similarly offset in the BPT diagram relative to the bulk of local star-forming galaxies, and thus we posit that metallicities can be compared self-consistently at different redshifts as long as the masses and SSFRs of the galaxies are similar. We find that the M-Z-SFR relation of $z\sim2$ galaxies is consistent with the local one at $\log M_*<10$, but is offset up to -0.25 dex at higher masses, so it is altogether not redshift invariant. This high-mass offset could arise from a bias that high-redshift spectroscopic surveys have against high-metallicity galaxies, but additional evidence disfavors this possibility. We identify three causes for the reported discrepancy between N2 and O3N2 metallicities at $z\sim2$: (1) a smaller offset that is also present for SDSS galaxies, which we remove with new N2 calibration, (2) a genuine offset due to differing ISM condition, which is also present in local analogs, (3) an additional offset due to unrecognized AGN contamination.

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arXiv2015

LEGUS Discovery of a Light Echo Around Supernova 2012aw

We have discovered a luminous light echo around the normal Type II-Plateau Supernova (SN) 2012aw in Messier 95 (M95; NGC 3351), detected in images obtained approximately two years after explosion with the Wide Field Channel 3 on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) by the Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). The multi-band observations span from the near-ultraviolet through the optical (F275W, F336W, F438W, F555W, and F814W). The apparent brightness of the echo at the time was ~21--22 mag in all of these bands. The echo appears circular, although less obviously as a ring, with an inhomogeneous surface brightness, in particular, a prominent enhanced brightness to the southeast. The SN itself was still detectable, particularly in the redder bands. We are able to model the light echo as the time-integrated SN light scattered off of diffuse interstellar dust in the SN environment. We have assumed that this dust is analogous to that in the Milky Way with R_V=3.1. The SN light curves that we consider also include models of the unobserved early burst of light from the SN shock breakout. Our analysis of the echo suggests that the distance from the SN to the scattering dust elements along the echo is ~45 pc. The implied visual extinction for the echo-producing dust is consistent with estimates made previously from the SN itself. Finally, our estimate of the SN brightness in F814W is fainter than that measured for the red supergiant star at the precise SN location in pre-SN images, possibly indicating that the star has vanished and confirming it as the likely SN progenitor.

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arXiv2014

A Critical Look at the Mass-Metallicity-SFR Relation in the Local Universe. I. An Improved Analysis Framework and Confounding Systematics

It has been proposed that the mass-metallicity relation of galaxies exhibits a secondary dependence on star formation rate (SFR), and that the resulting M-Z-SFR relation may be redshift-invariant, i.e., "fundamental." However, conflicting results on the character of the SFR dependence, and whether it exists, have been reported. To gain insight into the origins of the conflicting results, we (a) devise a non-parametric, astrophysically motivated analysis framework based on the offset from the star-forming ("main") sequence at a given stellar mass (relative specific SFR), (b) apply this methodology and perform a comprehensive re-analysis of the local M-Z-SFR relation, based on SDSS, GALEX, and WISE data, and (c) study the impact of sample selection, and of using different metallicity and SFR indicators. We show that metallicity is anti-correlated with specific SFR regardless of the indicators used. We do not find that the relation is spurious due to correlations arising from biased metallicity measurements, or fiber aperture effects. We emphasize that the dependence is weak/absent for massive galaxies ($\log M_*>10.5$), and that the overall scatter in the M-Z-SFR relation does not greatly decrease from the M-Z relation. We find that the dependence is stronger for the highest SSFR galaxies above the star-forming sequence. This two-mode behavior can be described with a broken linear fit in 12+log(O/H) vs. log (SFR$/M_*$), at a given $M_*$. Previous parameterizations used for comparative analysis with higher redshift samples that do not account for the more detailed behavior of the local M-Z-SFR relation may incorrectly lead to the conclusion that those samples follow a different relationship.

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arXiv2014

The Relationship between Stellar Mass, Gas Metallicity, and Star Formation Rate for Halpha-selected Galaxies at z~0.8 from the NewHalpha Survey

Using a sample of 299 Ha-selected galaxies at z~0.8, we study the relationship between galaxy stellar mass, gas-phase metallicity, and star formation rate (SFR), and compare to previous results. We use deep optical spectra obtained with the IMACS spectrograph at the Magellan telescope to measure strong oxygen lines. We combine these spectra and metallicities with (1) rest-frame UV-to-optical imaging, which allows us to determine stellar masses and dust attenuation corrections, and (2) Ha narrowband imaging, which provides a robust measure of the instantaneous SFR. Our sample spans stellar masses of 10^9 to 6*10^11 solar masses, SFRs of 0.4 to 270 solar masses per year, and metal abundances of 12+log(O/H)~8.3-9.1 (~0.4-2.6 solar metallicity). The correlations that we find between the Ha-based SFR and stellar mass (i.e., the star-forming "main sequence"), and between the stellar mass and metallicity, are both consistent with previous z~1 studies of star-forming galaxies. We then study the relationship between the three properties using various plane-fitting techniques (Lara-Lopez et al.) and a curve-fitting projection (Mannucci et al.). In all cases, we exclude strong dependence of the M-Z relation on SFR, but are unable to distinguish between moderate and no dependence. Our results are consistent with previous mass-metallicity-SFR studies. We check whether dataset limitations may obscure a strong dependence on the SFR by using mock samples drawn from the SDSS. These experiments reveal that the adopted signal-to-noise cuts may have a significant effect on the measured dependence. Further work is needed to investigate these results, and to test whether a "fundamental metallicity relation" or a "fundamental plane" describes star-forming galaxies across cosmic time.

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arXiv2014

Spitzer Local Volume Legacy (LVL) SEDs and Physical Properties

We present the panchromatic spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the Local Volume Legacy (LVL) survey which consists of 258 nearby galaxies ($D<$11 Mpc). The wavelength coverage spans the ultraviolet to the infrared (1500 $\textrmÅ$ to 24 $μ$m) which is utilized to derive global physical properties (i.e., star formation rate, stellar mass, internal extinction due to dust.). With these data, we find color-color relationships and correlated trends between observed and physical properties (i.e., optical magnitudes and dust properties, optical color and specific star formation rate, and ultraviolet-infrared color and metallicity). The SEDs are binned by different galaxy properties to reveal how each property affects the observed shape of these SEDs. In addition, due to the volume-limited nature of LVL, we utilize the dwarf-dominated galaxy sample to test star formation relationships established with higher-mass galaxy samples. We find good agreement with the star-forming "main-sequence" relationship, but find a systematic deviation in the infrared "main-sequence" at low luminosities. This deviation is attributed to suppressed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation in low metallicity environments and/or the destruction of PAHs in more intense radiation fields occurring near a suggested threshold in sSFR at a value of log($sSFR$) $\sim$ $-$10.2.

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arXiv2014

The Spitzer Local Volume Legacy (LVL) Global Optical Photometry

We present the global optical photometry of 246 galaxies in the Local Volume Legacy (LVL) survey. The full volume-limited sample consists of 258 nearby (D < 11 Mpc) galaxies whose absolute B-band magnitude span a range of -9.6 < M_B < -20.7 mag. A composite optical (UBVR) data set is constructed from observed UBVR and SDSS ugriz imaging, where the ugriz magnitudes are transformed into UBVR. We present photometry within three galaxy apertures defined at UV, optical, and IR wavelengths. Flux comparisons between these apertures reveal that the traditional optical R25 galaxy apertures do not fully encompass extended sources. Using the larger IR apertures we find color-color relationships where later-type spiral and irregular galaxies tend to be bluer than earlier-type galaxies. These data provide the missing optical emission from which future LVL studies can construct the full panchromatic (UV-optical-IR) spectral energy distributions.

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arXiv2014

Empirical ugri-UBVRc Transformations for Galaxies

We present empirical color transformations between Sloan Digital Sky Survey ugri and Johnson-Cousins UBVRc photometry for nearby galaxies (D < 11 Mpc). We use the Local Volume Legacy (LVL) galaxy sample where there are 90 galaxies with overlapping observational coverage for these two filter sets. The LVL galaxy sample consists of normal, non-starbursting galaxies. We also examine how well the LVL galaxy colors are described by previous transformations derived from standard calibration stars and model-based galaxy templates. We find significant galaxy color scatter around most of the previous transformation relationships. In addition, the previous transformations show systematic offsets between transformed and observed galaxy colors which are visible in observed color-color trends. The LVL-based $galaxy$ transformations show no systematic color offsets and reproduce the observed color-color galaxy trends.

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arXiv2013

The Nature of the Second Parameter in the IRX-beta Relation for Local Galaxies

We present an analysis of 98 galaxies of low-dust content, selected from the Spitzer Local Volume Legacy survey, aimed at examining the relation between the ultraviolet (UV) color, beta, and dust attenuation in normal star-forming galaxies. The IRX-beta diagram relates the total dust attenuation in a galaxy, traced by the far-IR (FIR) to UV ratio, to the observed UV color, indicated by beta. Previous research has indicated that while starburst galaxies exhibit a relatively tight IRX-beta relation, normal star-forming galaxies do not, and have a much larger spread in the total-IR to far-UV (FUV) luminosity for a fixed UV color. We examine the role that the age of the stellar population plays as the "second parameter" responsible for the observed deviation and spread of star-forming galaxies from the starburst relation. We model the FUV to FIR spectral energy distribution (SED) of each galaxy according to two broad bins of star formation history (SFH): constant and instantaneous burst. We find clear trends between stellar population mean age estimators (extinction-corrected FUV/NIR, U-B, and EW(H-alpha)) and the UV color, beta; the trends are mostly driven by the galaxies best-described by instantaneous burst populations. We also find a significant correlation between beta and the mean age directly determined from the best-fit instantaneous models. As already indicated by other authors, the UV attenuation in star-forming galaxies may not be recovered with the UV color alone and is highly influenced by the stellar population's mean age and SFH. Overall, the scatter in the IRX-beta diagram is better correlated with beta than with the perpendicular distance.

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arXiv2013

Measuring Galaxy Star Formation Rates From Integrated Photometry: Insights from Color-Magnitude Diagrams of Resolved Stars

We use empirical star formation histories (SFHs), measured from HST-based resolved star color-magnitude diagrams, as input into population synthesis codes to model the broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of ~50 nearby dwarf galaxies (6.5 < log M/M_* < 8.5, with metallicities ~10% solar). In the presence of realistic SFHs, we compare the modeled and observed SEDs from the ultraviolet (UV) through near-infrared (NIR) and assess the reliability of widely used UV-based star formation rate (SFR) indicators. In the FUV through i bands, we find that the observed and modeled SEDs are in excellent agreement. In the Spitzer 3.6micron and 4.5micron bands, we find that modeled SEDs systematically over-predict observed luminosities by up to ~0.2 dex, depending on treatment of the TP-AGB stars in the synthesis models. We assess the reliability of UV luminosity as a SFR indicator, in light of independently constrained SFHs. We find that fluctuations in the SFHs alone can cause factor of ~2 variations in the UV luminosities relative to the assumption of a constant SFH over the past 100 Myr. These variations are not strongly correlated with UV-optical colors, implying that correcting UV-based SFRs for the effects of realistic SFHs is difficult using only the broadband SED. Additionally, for this diverse sample of galaxies, we find that stars older than 100 Myr can contribute from <5% to100% of the present day UV luminosity, highlighting the challenges in defining a characteristic star formation timescale associated with UV emission. We do find a relationship between UV emission timescale and broadband UV-optical color, though it is different than predictions based on exponentially declining SFH models. Our findings have significant implications for the comparison of UV-based SFRs across low-metallicity populations with diverse SFHs.

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arXiv2013

First Spectroscopic Evidence for High Ionization State and Low Oxygen Abundance in Lya Emitters

We present results from Keck/NIRSPEC and Magellan/MMIRS follow-up spectroscopy of Lya emitters (LAEs) at z=2.2 identified in our Subaru narrowband survey. We successfully detect Ha emission from seven LAEs, and perform a detailed analysis of six LAEs free from AGN activity, two out of which, CDFS-3865 and COSMOS-30679, have [OII] and [OIII] line detections. They are the first [OII]-detected LAEs at high-z, and their [OIII]/[OII] ratios and R23-indices provide the first simultaneous determinations of ionization parameter and oxygen abundance for LAEs. CDFS-3865 has a very high ionization parameter (q_{ion}=2.5^{+1.7}_{-0.8}x10^8 cm s^{-1}) and a low oxygen abundance (12+log(O/H)=7.84^{+0.24}_{-0.25}) in contrast with moderate values of other high-z galaxies such as Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). COSMOS-30679 also possesses a relatively high ionization parameter (q_{ion}=8^{+10}_{-4}x10^7 cm s^{-1}) and a low oxygen abundance (12+log(O/H)=8.18^{+0.28}_{-0.28}). Both LAEs appear to fall below the mass-metallicity relation of z~2 LBGs. Similarly, a low metallicity of 12+log(O/H)<8.4 is independently indicated for typical LAEs from a composite spectrum and the [NII]/Ha index. Such high ionization parameters and low oxygen abundances can be found in local star-forming galaxies, but this extreme local population occupies only ~0.06% of the SDSS spectroscopic galaxy sample with a number density ~100 times smaller than that of LAEs. With their high ionization parameters and low oxygen abundances, LAEs would represent an early stage of galaxy formation dominated by massive stars in compact star-forming regions. High-q_{ion} galaxies like LAEs would produce ionizing photons efficiently with a high escape fraction achieved by density-bounded HII regions, which would significantly contribute to cosmic reionization at z>6.

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arXiv2012

Star Formation Rate Distributions: Inadequacy of the Schechter Function

In this paper we posit that galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) come in two fundamentally different types depending on whether the luminosity traces galaxy stellar mass or its current star formation rate (SFR). Mass function types reflect the older stars and therefore the stellar mass distribution, while SFR function types arise from the young stars and hence the distribution of SFRs. Optical and near-infrared LFs are of the mass function type, and are well fit by a Schechter function (power law with an exponential cutoff at the bright end). In contrast, LFs of the SFR function type are of a different form, one that cannot be adequately described by a Schechter function. We demonstrate this difference by generating SFR distributions for mock samples of galaxies drawn from a Schechter stellar mass distribution along with established empirical relations between the SFR and stellar mass. Compared with the Schechter function, SFR distributions have a shallower decline at the bright end, which can be traced to the large intrinsic scatter of SFRs at any given stellar mass. A superior description of SFR distributions is given by the "Saunders" function, which combines a power law with a Gaussian at the high end. We show that the Schechter-like appearance of UV and H alpha LFs, although they are LFs of SFR function type, results when luminosities are not corrected for dust, or when average statistical corrections are used because individual attenuation measurements are not available. We thus infer that the non-Schechter form of the far-IR LFs is a true reflection of the underlying SFR distribution, rather than the purported artifact of AGN contamination.

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arXiv2012

Nebular Attenuation in Hα-selected Star-forming Galaxies at z=0.8 from the NewHα Survey

We present measurements of the dust attenuation of Hα-selected emission-line galaxies at z=0.8 from the NewHα narrowband survey. The analysis is based on deep follow-up spectroscopy with Magellan/IMACS, which captures the strong rest-frame optical emission lines from [OII] λ3727 to [OIII] λ5007. The spectroscopic sample used in this analysis consists of 341 confirmed Hα emitters. We place constraints on the AGN fraction using diagnostics which can be applied at intermediate redshift. We find that at least 5% of the objects in our spectroscopic sample can be classified as AGN and 2% are composite, i.e. powered by a combination of star-formation and AGN activity. We measure the dust attenuation for individual objects from the ratios of the higher order Balmer lines. The Hβ and Hγ pair of lines is detected with S/N>5 in 55 individual objects and the Hβ and Hδ pair is detected in 50 individual objects. We also create stacked spectra to probe the attenuation in objects without individual detections. The median attenuation at Hα based on the objects with individually detected lines is A(Hα)=0.9+-1.0 magnitudes, in good agreement with the attenuation found in local samples of star-forming galaxies. We find that the z=0.8 galaxies occupy a similar locus of attenuation as a function of magnitude, mass and SFR as a comparison sample drawn from the SDSS DR4. Both the results from the individual z=0.8 galaxies and from the stacked spectra show consistency with the mass -- attenuation and SFR -- attenuation relations found in the local Universe, indicating that these relations are also applicable at intermediate redshift.

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