arXiv subjects

Kimihiko Nakajima

Publications and source records attributed to Kimihiko Nakajima.

106 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Bright and Faint Ends of Ly$α$ Luminosity Functions at $\textit{z} = 2$ Determined by the Subaru Survey: Implications for AGN, Magnification Bias, and ISM HI Evolution

We present the Lya luminosity functions (LFs) derived by our deep Subaru narrowband survey that identifies a total of 3,137 Lya emitters (LAEs) at $z = 2.2$ in five independent blank fields. The sample of these LAEs is the largest, to date, and covers a very wide Lya luminosity range of $\log L_{Lyα} = 41.7-44.4$ erg s$^{-1}$. We determine the Lya LF at $z = 2.2$ with unprecedented accuracies, and obtain the best-fit Schechter parameters of $L^{*}_{Lyα} = 5.29^{+1.67}_{-1.13} \times 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$, $ϕ^{*}_{Lyα} = 6.32^{+3.08}_{-2.31} \times 10^{-4}$ Mpc$^{-3}$, and $α= -1.75^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$ showing a steep faint-end slope. We identify a significant hump at the LF bright end ($\log L_{Lyα} > 43.4$ erg s$^{-1}$). Because all of the LAEs in the bright-end hump have (a) bright counterpart(s) either in the X-ray, UV, or radio data, this bright-end hump is not made by gravitational lensing magnification bias but AGNs. These AGNs allow us to derive the AGN UV LF at $z \sim 2$ down to the faint magnitude limit of $M_{UV} \simeq -22.5$, and to constrain the faint-end slope of AGN UV LF, $α_{AGN}=-1.2 \pm 0.1$, that is flatter than those at $z > 4$. Based on the Lya and UV LFs from our and previous studies, we find the increase of Lya escape fraction $f^{Lyα}_{esc}$ from $z \sim 0$ to $6$ by two orders of magnitude. This large $f^{Lyα}_{esc}$ increase can be explained neither by the evolution of stellar population nor outflow alone, but the evolution of neutral hydrogen HI density in inter-stellar medium that enhances dust attenuation for Lya by resonance scattering. Our uniform expanding shell models suggest that the typical HI column density decreases from $N_{HI} \sim 7 \times 10^{19}$ ($z \sim 0$) to $\sim 1 \times 10^{18}$ cm$^{-2}$ ($z \sim 6$) to explain the large $f^{Lyα}_{esc}$ increase.

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arXiv2016

A Close Comparison between Observed and Modeled Lyα Lines for z ~ 2.2 Lyman Alpha Emitters

We present the results of a Lya profile analysis of 12 Lya emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2 with high-resolution Lya spectra. We find that all 12 objects have a Lya profile with the main peak redward of the systemic redshift defined by nebular lines, and five have a weak, secondary peak blueward of the systemic redshift (blue bump). The average velocity offset of the red main peak (the blue bump, if any) with respect to the systemic redshift is Delta_v_Lya,r = 174+/- 19 km s-1 (Delta_v_Lya,b = -316+/-45 km s-1), which is smaller than (comparable to) that of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). The outflow velocities inferred from metal absorption lines in three individual and one stacked spectra are comparable to those of LBGs. The expanding shell model constructed by Verhamme et al. (2006) reproduces not only the Lya profiles but also other observed quantities including the outflow velocity and the FWHM of nebular lines for the non-blue bump objects. On the other hand, the model predicts too high FWHMs of nebular lines for the blue bump objects, although this discrepancy may disappear if we introduce additional Lya photons produced by gravitational cooling. We show that the small Delta_v_Lya,r values of our sample can be explained by low neutral-hydrogen column densities of log(NHI) = 18.9 cm-2 on average. This value is more than one order of magnitude lower than those of LBGs but is consistent with recent findings that LAEs have high ionization parameters and low Hi gas masses. This result suggests that low NHI values, giving reduced numbers of resonant scattering of Lya photons, are the key to the strong Lya emission of LAEs.

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arXiv2015

Statistical Properties of Diffuse Lyman-alpha Halos around Star-forming Galaxies at z~2

We present statistical properties of diffuse Lyman-alpha halos (LAHs) around high-$z$ star-forming galaxies with large Subaru samples of Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) at $z=2.2$. We make subsamples defined by the physical quantities of LAEs' central Lyman-alpha luminosities, UV magnitudes, Lyman-alpha equivalent widths, and UV slopes, and investigate LAHs' radial surface brightness (SB) profiles and scale lengths $r_n$ as a function of these physical quantities. We find that there exist prominent LAHs around LAEs with faint Lyman-alpha luminosities, bright UV luminosities, and small Lyman-alpha equivalent widths in cumulative radial Lyman-alpha SB profiles. We confirm this trend with the anti-correlation between $r_n$ and Lyman-alpha luminosities (equivalent widths) based on the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient that is $ρ=-0.9$ ($-0.7$) corresponding to the $96\%$ ($93\%$) confidence level, although the correlation between $r_n$ and UV magnitudes is not clearly found in the rank correlation coefficient. Our results suggest that LAEs with properties similar to typical Lyman-break galaxies (with faint Lyman-alpha luminosities and small equivalent widths) possess more prominent LAHs. We investigate scenarios for the major physical origins of LAHs with our results, and find that the cold stream scenario is not preferred, due to the relatively small equivalent widths up to $77$Å in LAHs that include LAEs' central components. There remain two possible scenarios of Lyman-alpha scattering in circum-galactic medium and satellite galaxies that cannot be tested with our observational data.

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arXiv2015

First Infrared-based implications for the dust attenuation and star formation of typical Ly$α$ emitters

By stacking publicly available deep Spitzer/MIPS 24 $μ$m and Herschel/PACS images for 213 $z \simeq 2.18$ Ly$α$ Emitters (LAEs) in GOODS-South, we obtain a strong upper limit to the IR luminosity of typical LAEs and discuss their attenuation curve for the first time. The $3σ$ upper limit $L_{\rm TIR}^{3σ}= 1.1 \times 10^{10} L_\odot$, determined from the MIPS data providing the lowest limit, gives $IRX \equiv L_{\rm TIR}/L_{\rm UV} \leq 2.2$. Here we assume that the local calibration between the 8 $μ$m emission and the dust SED shape and metallicity applies at high redshifts and that our LAEs have low metallicities as suggested by previous studies. The inferred escape fractions of Ly$α$, $16$--$37%$, and UV continuum, $\ge 44%$, are higher than the cosmic averages at the same epoch. The SMC attenuation curve is consistent with the IRX and the UV slope $β= -1.4^{+0.2}_{-0.2}$ of our stacked LAE, while the Meurer's relation (Calzetti curve) predicts a 3.8 times higher IRX; we also discuss the validity of PACS-based $L_{\rm TIR}^{3σ}$ allowing the Meurer's relation. SED fitting using the Calzetti curve also gives a $\sim 10$ times higher SFR than from the $L_{\rm TIR}^{3σ}$ and $L_{\rm UV}$. With $M_{\star}=6.3^{+0.8}_{-2.0} \times10^8 \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$, our LAEs lie on a lower-mass extrapolation of the star formation main sequence at $z \sim 2$, suggesting that the majority of $z \sim 2$ LAEs are mildly star forming with relatively old ages of $\sim 200$ Myr. The faint $L_{\rm TIR}^{3σ}$ implies that LAEs contribute little to the faint ($\gtrsim 100 μ$Jy) submm number counts by ALMA.

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arXiv2014

Accelerated Evolution of Ly$α$ Luminosity Function at $\textit{z} \gtrsim 7$ Revealed by the Subaru Ultra-Deep Survey for Ly$α$ Emitters at $\textit{z}=7.3$

We present the ultra-deep Subaru narrowband imaging survey for Lya emitters (LAEs) at $z=7.3$ in SXDS and COSMOS fields with a total integration time of 106 hours. Exploiting our new sharp bandwidth filter, NB101, installed on Suprime-Cam, we have reached $L(Lya)=2.4\times10^{42} \ erg \ s^{-1}$ ($5σ$) for $z=7.3$ LAEs, about 4 times deeper than previous Subaru $z \gtrsim 7$ studies, which allows us to reliably investigate evolution of Lya luminosity function (LF), for the first time, down to the luminosity limit same as those of Subaru $z=3.1-6.6$ LAE samples. Surprisingly, we only find three and four LAEs in SXDS and COSMOS fields, respectively, while one expects a total of $\sim 65$ LAEs by our survey in the case of no Lya LF evolution from $z=6.6$ to $7.3$.We identify a decrease of Lya LF from $z=6.6$ to $7.3$ at the $>90\%$ confidence level from our $z=7.3$ Lya LF.Moreover, the evolution of Lya LF is clearly accelerated at $z>6.6$ beyond the measurement uncertainties including cosmic variance. Because no such accelerated evolution of UV-continuum LF or cosmic star-formation rate (SFR) is found at $z\sim 7$, but suggested only at $z>8$ (Oesch et al. 2013, Bouwens et al. 2014), this accelerated Lya LF evolution is explained by physical mechanisms different from a pure SFR decrease but related to Lya production and escape in the process of cosmic reionization. Because a simple accelerating increase of IGM neutral hydrogen absorbing Lya would not reconcile with Thomson scattering optical depth measurements from WMAP and Planck, our findings may support new physical pictures suggested by recent theoretical studies, such as the existence of HI clumpy clouds within cosmic ionized bubbles selectively absorbing Lya and the large ionizing photon escape fraction of galaxies making weak Lya emission.

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arXiv2014

MOSFIRE and LDSS3 Spectroscopy for an [OII] Blob at z=1.18: Gas Outflow and Energy Source

We report our Keck/MOSFIRE and Magellan/LDSS3 spectroscopy for an [OII] Blob, OIIB10, that is a high-$z$ galaxy with spatially extended [OII]$λ\lambda3726,3729$ emission over 30 kpc recently identified by a Subaru large-area narrowband survey. The systemic redshift of OIIB10 is $z=1.18$ securely determined with [OIII]$λ\lambda4959,5007$ and H$β$ emission lines. We identify FeII$λ$2587 and MgII$λλ$2796,2804 absorption lines blueshifted from the systemic redshift by $80\pm50$ and $260\pm40$ km s$^{-1}$, respectively, which indicate gas outflow from OIIB10 with the velocity of $\sim 80-260$ km s$^{-1}$. This outflow velocity is comparable with the escape velocity, $250\pm140$ km s$^{-1}$, estimated under the assumption of a singular isothermal halo potential profile. Some fraction of the outflowing gas could escape from the halo of OIIB10, suppressing OIIB10's star-formation activity. We estimate a mass loading factor, $η$, that is a ratio of mass outflow rate to star-formation rate, and obtain $η>0.8\pm 0.1$ which is relatively high compared with low-$z$ starbursts including U/LIRGs and AGNs. The major energy source of the outflow is unclear with the available data. Although no signature of AGN is found in the X-ray data, OIIB10 falls in the AGN/star-forming composite region in the line diagnostic diagrams. It is possible that the outflow is powered by star formation and a type-2 AGN with narrow FWHM emission line widths of $70-130$ km s$^{-1}$. This is the first detailed spectroscopic study of oxygen-line blobs, which includes the analyses of the escape velocity, the mass loading factor, and the presence of an AGN, and a significant step to understanding the nature of oxygen-line blobs and the relation with gas outflow and star-formation quenching at high redshift.

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arXiv2014

Ionization State of Inter-Stellar Medium in Galaxies: Evolution, SFR-M_star-Z Dependence, and Ionizing Photon Escape

We present a systematic study for ionization state of inter-stellar medium in galaxies at z=0-3 with ~140,000 SDSS galaxies and 108 intermediate to high redshift galaxies from the literature, using an ionization-parameter sensitive line ratio of [OIII]5007/[OII]3727 and photoionization models. We confirm that z=2-3 galaxies show an [OIII]/[OII] ratio significantly higher than a typical star-forming galaxy of SDSS by a factor of >~10, and the photoionization models reveal that these high-z galaxies have an ionization parameter of log(qion/cm s^{-1})~7.6-9.0, a factor of ~4-10 higher than local galaxies. For galaxies at any redshift, we identify a correlation between the [OIII]/[OII] ratio and galaxy global properties of star-formation rate (SFR), stellar mass (M_star), and metallicity (Z). We extend the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) and develop the fundamental ionization relation (FIR), a four-dimensional relation of ionization parameter, SFR, M_star, and Z. The intermediate and high-z galaxies up to z~3 follow the FIR defined with the local galaxies, in contrast with the FMR whose possible evolution from z~2 to 3 is reported. We find that the FMR evolution of z~2-3 appears, if one omits ionization parameter differences, and that the FMR evolution does not exist for an average metallicity solution of z~3 galaxies with a high-ionization parameter. Interestingly, all of two local Lyman-continuum emitting galaxies (LyC leakers) have a high [OIII]/[OII] ratio, indicating a positive correlation between [OIII]/[OII] and ionizing photon escape fraction (fesc), which is successfully explained by our photoionization models. Because [OIII]/[OII] ratios of z~2-3 galaxies, especially Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs), are comparable to, or higher than, those of the local LyC leakers, these high-z galaxies are candidates of Lyman-continuum emitting objects. (abridged)

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arXiv2014

Diffuse Lyman-alpha Halos around Galaxies at z=2.2-6.6: Implications for Galaxy Formation and Cosmic Reionization

We present diffuse Lyman-alpha halos (LAHs) identified in the composite Subaru narrowband images of 100-3600 Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) at z=2.2, 3.1, 3.7, 5.7, and 6.6. First, we carefully examine potential artifacts mimicking LAHs that include a large-scale point-spread function (PSF) made by instrumental and atmospheric effects. Based on our critical test with composite images of non-LAE samples whose narrowband-magnitude and source-size distributions are the same as our LAE samples, we confirm that no artifacts can produce a diffuse extended feature similar to our LAHs. After this test, we measure the scale lengths of exponential profile for the LAHs estimated from our z=2.2-6.6 LAE samples of L(Lyman-alpha) > 2 x 10^42 erg s^-1. We obtain the scale lengths of ~ 5-10 kpc at z=2.2-5.7, and find no evolution of scale lengths in this redshift range beyond our measurement uncertainties. Combining this result and the previously-known UV-continuum size evolution, we infer that the ratio of LAH to UV-continuum sizes is nearly constant at z=2.2-5.7. The scale length of our z=6.6 LAH is larger than 5-10 kpc just beyond the error bar, which is a hint that the scale lengths of LAHs would increase from z=5.7 to 6.6. If this increase is confirmed by future large surveys with significant improvements of statistical and systematical errors, this scale length change at z > 6 would be a signature of increasing fraction of neutral hydrogen scattering Lyman-alpha photons, due to cosmic reionization.

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arXiv2014

What is the physical origin of strong Lya emission? II. Gas Kinematics and Distribution of Lya Emitters

We present a statistical study of velocities of Lya, interstellar (IS) absorption, and nebular lines and gas covering fraction for Lya emitters (LAEs) at z~2. We make a sample of 22 LAEs with a large Lya equivalent width (EW) of > 50A based on our deep Keck/LRIS observations, in conjunction with spectroscopic data from the Subaru/FMOS program and the literature. We estimate the average velocity offset of Lya from a systemic redshift determined with nebular lines to be dv_Lya=234+-9 km s-1. Using a Kolmogorv-Smirnov test, we confirm the previous claim of Hashimoto et al. (2013) that the average dv_Lya of LAEs is smaller than that of LBGs. Our LRIS data successfully identify blue-shifted multiple IS absorption lines in the UV continua of four LAEs on an individual basis. The average velocity offset of IS absorption lines from a systemic redshift is dv_IS=204+-27 km s-1, indicating LAE's gas outflow with a velocity comparable to typical LBGs. Thus, the ratio, R^Lya_ IS = dv_Lya/dv_IS of LAEs, is around unity, suggestive of low impacts on Lya transmission by resonant scattering of neutral hydrogen in the IS medium. We find an anti-correlation between Lya EW and the covering fraction, f_c, estimated from the depth of absorption lines, where f_c is an indicator of average neutral hydrogen column density, N_HI. The results of our study support the idea that N_HI is a key quantity determining Lya emissivity.

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arXiv2014

What is the Physical Origin of Strong Lya Emission? I. Demographics of Lya Emitter Structures

We present the results of structure analyses for a large sample of 426 Lya emitters (LAEs) at z~2.2 that are observed with HST/ACS and WFC3-IR by deep extra-galactic legacy surveys. We confirm that the merger fraction and the average ellipticity of LAE's stellar component are 10-30 % and 0.4-0.6, respectively, that are comparable with previous study results. We successfully identify that some LAEs have a spatial offset between Lya and stellar-continuum emission peaks, d_Lya, by ~2.5-4 kpc beyond our statistical errors. To uncover the physical origin of strong Lya emission found in LAEs, we investigate Lya equivalent width (EW) dependences of these three structural parameters, merger fraction, d_Lya, and ellipticity of stellar distribution in the range of EW(Lya)=20-250A. Contrary to expectations, we find that merger fraction does not significantly increase with Lya EW. We reveal an anti-correlation between d_Lya and EW(Lya) by Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test. There is a trend that the LAEs with a large Lya EW have a small ellipticity. This is consistent with the recent theoretical claims that Lya photons can more easily escape from face-on disks having a small ellipticity, due to less inter-stellar gas along the line of sight, although our KS test indicates that this trend is not statistically significant. Our results of Lya-EW dependence generally support the idea that an HI column density is a key quantity determining Lya emissivity.

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arXiv2013

First Systematic Search for Oxygen-Line Blobs at High Redshift: Uncovering AGN Feedback and Star-Formation Quenching

We present the first systematic search for extended metal-line [OII]λλ3726,3729 nebulae, or [OII] blobs (OIIBs), at z=1.2 using deep narrowband imaging with a survey volume of 1.9x10^5 Mpc^3 on the 0.62 deg^2 sky of Subaru-XMM Deep Survey (SXDS) field. We discover a giant OIIB, dubbed 'OIIB 1', with a spatial extent over ~75 kpc at a spectroscopic redshift of z=1.18, and also identify a total of twelve OIIBs with a size of >30 kpc. Our optical spectrum of OIIB 1 presents [NeV]λ3426 line at the 6σ level, indicating that this object harbors an obscured type-2 AGN. The presence of gas outflows in this object is suggested by two marginal detections of FeIIλ2587 absorption and FeII*λ2613 emission lines both of which are blueshifted at as large as 500-600 km/s, indicating that the heating source of OIIB 1 is AGN or associated shock excitation rather than supernovae produced by starbursts. The number density of OIIB 1-type giant blobs is estimated to be ~5x10^{-6} Mpc^{-3} at z~1.2, which is comparable with that of AGNs driving outflow at a similar redshift, suggesting that giant OIIBs are produced only by AGN activity. On the other hand, the number density of small OIIBs, 6x10^{-5} Mpc^{-3}, compared to that of z~1 galaxies in the blue cloud in the same M_B range, may imply that 3% of star-forming galaxies at z~1 are quenching star formation through outflows involving extended [OII] emission.

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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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arXiv2013

Gas Motion Study of Lya Emitters at z~2 Using UV and Optical Spectral Lines

We present the results of Magellan/MMIRS and Keck/NIRSPEC spectroscopy for five Lya emitters (LAEs) at z=2.2 for which high-resolution FUV spectra from Magellan/MagE are available. We detect nebular emission lines including Ha on the individual basis and low-ionization interstellar (LIS) absorption lines in a stacked FUV spectrum, and measure average offset velocities of the Lya line, Delta_v_Lya, and LIS absorption lines, Delta_v_abs, with respect to the systemic velocity defined by the nebular lines. For a sample of eight z~2-3 LAEs without AGN from our study and the literature, we obtain Delta_v_Lya = 175+/-35 km s^{-1}, which is significantly smaller than that of Lyman-break Galaxies (LBGs), Delta_v_Lya=400 km s^{-1}. The stacked FUV spectrum gives Delta_v_abs = -179 +/- 73 km s^{-1}, comparable to that of LBGs. These positive Delta_v_Lya and negative Delta_v_abs suggest that LAEs also have outflows. In contrast to LBGs, however, the LAEs' Delta_v_Lya is as small as |Delta_v_abs|, suggesting low neutral hydrogen column densities. Such a low column density with a small number of resonant scattering may cause the observed strong Lya emission of LAEs. We find an anti-correlation between Lya equivalent width (EW) and Delta_v_Lya in a compilation of LAE and LBG samples. Although its physical origin is not clear, this anti-correlation result appears to challenge the hypothesis that a strong outflow, by means of a reduced number of resonant scattering, produces a large EW. If LAEs at z>6 have similarly small Delta_v_Lya values, constraints on the reionization history derived from the Lya transmissivity may need to be revised.

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arXiv2011

Average Metallicity and Star Formation Rate of Lya Emitters Probed by a Triple Narrow-Band Survey

We present the average metallicity and star-formation rate of Lya emitters (LAEs) measured from our large-area survey with three narrow-band (NB) filters covering the Lya, [OII]3727, and Ha+[NII] lines of LAEs at z=2.2. We select 919 z=2.2 LAEs from Subaru/Suprime-Cam NB data in conjunction with Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy. Of these LAEs, 561 and 105 are observed with KPNO/NEWFIRM near-infrared NB filters whose central wavelengths are matched to redshifted [OII] and Ha nebular lines, respectively. By stacking the near-infrared images of the LAEs, we successfully obtain average nebular-line fluxes of LAEs, the majority of which are too faint to be identified individually by narrow-band imaging or deep spectroscopy. The stacked object has an Ha luminosity of 1.7x10^{42} erg s^{-1} corresponding to a star formation rate (SFR) of 14 M_{sun} yr^{-1}. We place, for the first time, a firm lower limit to the average metallicity of LAEs of Z>~0.09 Z_{sun} (2sigma) based on the [OII]/(Ha+[NII]) index together with photo-ionization models and empirical relations. This lower limit of metallicity rules out the hypothesis that LAEs, so far observed at z~2, are extremely metal poor (Z<2x10^{-2} Z_{sun}) young galaxies at the 4sigma level. This limit is higher than a simple extrapolation of the observed mass-metallicity relation of z~2 UV-selected galaxies toward lower masses (5x10^{8} M_{sun}), but roughly consistent with a recently proposed fundamental mass-metallicity relation when the LAEs' relatively low SFR is taken into account. The Ha and Lya luminosities of our NB-selected LAEs indicate that the escape fraction of Lya photons is ~12-30 %, much higher than the values derived for other galaxy populations at z~2.

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arXiv2011

Spectroscopic Confirmation of Three z-Dropout Galaxies at z = 6.844 - 7.213: Demographics of Lyman-Alpha Emission in z ~ 7 Galaxies

We present the results of our ultra-deep Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of z-dropout galaxies in the SDF and GOODS-N. For 3 out of 11 objects, we detect an emission line at ~ 1um with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~ 10. The lines show asymmetric profiles with high weighted skewness values, consistent with being Lya, yielding redshifts of z=7.213, 6.965, and 6.844. Specifically, we confirm the z=7.213 object in two independent DEIMOS runs with different spectroscopic configurations. The z=6.965 object is a known Lya emitter, IOK-1, for which our improved spectrum at a higher resolution yields a robust skewness measurement. The three z-dropouts have Lya fluxes of 3 x 10^-17 erg s^-1 cm^-2 and rest-frame equivalent widths EW_0^Lya = 33-43A. Based on the largest spectroscopic sample of 43 z-dropouts that is the combination of our and previous data, we find that the fraction of Lya-emitting galaxies (EW_0^Lya > 25A) is low at z ~ 7; 17 +- 10% and 24 +- 12% for bright (Muv ~= -21) and faint (Muv ~= -19.5) galaxies, respectively. The fractions of Lya-emitting galaxies drop from z ~ 6 to 7 and the amplitude of the drop is larger for faint galaxies than for bright galaxies. These two pieces of evidence would indicate that the neutral hydrogen fraction of the IGM increases from z ~ 6 to 7, and that the reionization proceeds from high- to low-density environments, as suggested by an inside-out reionization model.

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arXiv2009

Large Area Survey for z=7 Galaxies in SDF and GOODS-N: Implications for Galaxy Formation and Cosmic Reionization

We present results of our large-area survey for z'-band dropout galaxies at z=7 in a 1568 arcmin^2 sky area covering the SDF and GOODS-N fields. Combining our ultra-deep Subaru/Suprime-Cam z'- and y-band (lambda_eff=1um) images with legacy data of Subaru and HST, we have identified 22 bright z-dropout galaxies down to y=26, one of which has a spectroscopic redshift of z=6.96 determined from Lya emission. The z=7 luminosity function (LF) yields the best-fit Schechter parameters of phi*=0.69 +2.62/-0.55 x10^(-3) Mpc^(-3), Muv*=-20.10 +/-0.76 mag, and alpha=-1.72 +/-0.65, and indicates a decrease from z=6 at a >95% confidence level. This decrease is beyond the cosmic variance in our two fields, which is estimated to be a factor of <~2. We have found that the cosmic star formation rate density drops from the peak at z=2-3 to z=7 roughly by a factor of ~10 but not larger than ~100. A comparison with the reionization models suggests either that the Universe could not be totally ionized by only galaxies at z=7, or more likely that properties of galaxies at z=7 are different from those at low redshifts having, e.g., a larger escape fraction (>~0.2), and/or a flatter IMF. Our SDF z-dropout galaxies appear to form 60-Mpc long filamentary structures, and the z=6.96 galaxy with Lya emission is located at the center of an overdense region consisting of four UV bright dropout candidates, which might suggest an existence of a well-developed ionized bubble at z=7.

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