The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys
Investigating the impact of galaxy properties on emergent Ly α emission is crucial for reionization studies, given the sensitivity of Ly α to neutral hydrogen. This study presents an analysis of the physical characteristics of 155 star-forming galaxies, 29 with Ly α detected, and 126 with Ly α not d...
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2024-01-01
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| author | Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz Gene C. K. Leung Steven L. Finkelstein Dustin Davis Ralph S. Sutherland David C. Nicholls Mabel Stephenson Erin Mentuch Cooper Micaela Bagley Karl Gebhardt Lindsay R. House Chenxu Liu Robin Ciardullo Caryl Gronwall Gary J. Hill Daniel Farrow Donald P. Schneider |
| author_facet | Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz Gene C. K. Leung Steven L. Finkelstein Dustin Davis Ralph S. Sutherland David C. Nicholls Mabel Stephenson Erin Mentuch Cooper Micaela Bagley Karl Gebhardt Lindsay R. House Chenxu Liu Robin Ciardullo Caryl Gronwall Gary J. Hill Daniel Farrow Donald P. Schneider |
| author_sort | Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Investigating the impact of galaxy properties on emergent Ly α emission is crucial for reionization studies, given the sensitivity of Ly α to neutral hydrogen. This study presents an analysis of the physical characteristics of 155 star-forming galaxies, 29 with Ly α detected, and 126 with Ly α not detected with Ly α EW < 20 Å, at z = 1.9–3.5, drawn from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field survey, that have overlapping observations from the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment survey. To unravel the interstellar medium (ISM) conditions in our sample, we developed a custom nebular line modeling algorithm based on the MAPPINGS V photoionization model grid and the emcee framework. Combining nebular-based ISM properties with photometry-based global properties, constrained via Bagpipes , we explore distinctions in the stellar and gas properties between Ly α -detected and Ly α -nondetected galaxies. Our analysis reveals statistically significant differences between the two samples in terms of stellar mass and dust attenuation ( A _V ) at >2 σ significance, as determined via a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Moreover, there are weaker (≲1 σ significance) indications that the ionization parameter and metallicity differ between the two samples. Our results demonstrate that the escape fraction of Ly α ( ${f}_{\mathrm{esc}}^{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha }$ ) is inversely correlated with stellar mass, star formation rate, and dust attenuation, while it is positively correlated with the ionization parameter, with significance levels exceeding 2 σ . Our findings suggest that the interstellar environments of Ly α -detected galaxies, characterized by low mass, low dust, low gas-phase metallicity, and high ionization parameters, play a pivotal role in promoting the escape of Ly α radiation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ba481f15f2c14d5cb903bda90115abc2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-ba481f15f2c14d5cb903bda90115abc22024-12-05T09:05:19ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01977110710.3847/1538-4357/ad7a00The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF SurveysÓscar A. Chávez Ortiz0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2332-5505Gene C. K. Leung1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9393-6507Steven L. Finkelstein2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8519-1130Dustin Davis3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8925-9769Ralph S. Sutherland4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6620-7421David C. Nicholls5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0892-5203Mabel Stephenson6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4717-0376Erin Mentuch Cooper7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2307-0146Micaela Bagley8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9921-9218Karl Gebhardt9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8433-8185Lindsay R. House10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1496-6514Chenxu Liu11https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5561-2010Robin Ciardullo12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1328-0211Caryl Gronwall13https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6842-2371Gary J. Hill14https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6717-7685Daniel Farrow15https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2575-0652Donald P. Schneider16https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7240-7449Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USAResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT, AustraliaResearch School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT, AustraliaDepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA; South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University , Kunming, Yunnan 650500, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USAMcDonald Observatory, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Stop C1402, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712, USACentre of Excellence for AI, Data Science and Modeling (DAIM), University of Hull , Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK; E. A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics, University of Hull , Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UKDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USAInvestigating the impact of galaxy properties on emergent Ly α emission is crucial for reionization studies, given the sensitivity of Ly α to neutral hydrogen. This study presents an analysis of the physical characteristics of 155 star-forming galaxies, 29 with Ly α detected, and 126 with Ly α not detected with Ly α EW < 20 Å, at z = 1.9–3.5, drawn from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field survey, that have overlapping observations from the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment survey. To unravel the interstellar medium (ISM) conditions in our sample, we developed a custom nebular line modeling algorithm based on the MAPPINGS V photoionization model grid and the emcee framework. Combining nebular-based ISM properties with photometry-based global properties, constrained via Bagpipes , we explore distinctions in the stellar and gas properties between Ly α -detected and Ly α -nondetected galaxies. Our analysis reveals statistically significant differences between the two samples in terms of stellar mass and dust attenuation ( A _V ) at >2 σ significance, as determined via a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Moreover, there are weaker (≲1 σ significance) indications that the ionization parameter and metallicity differ between the two samples. Our results demonstrate that the escape fraction of Ly α ( ${f}_{\mathrm{esc}}^{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha }$ ) is inversely correlated with stellar mass, star formation rate, and dust attenuation, while it is positively correlated with the ionization parameter, with significance levels exceeding 2 σ . Our findings suggest that the interstellar environments of Ly α -detected galaxies, characterized by low mass, low dust, low gas-phase metallicity, and high ionization parameters, play a pivotal role in promoting the escape of Ly α radiation.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7a00GalaxiesLyα galaxiesGalaxy properties |
| spellingShingle | Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz Gene C. K. Leung Steven L. Finkelstein Dustin Davis Ralph S. Sutherland David C. Nicholls Mabel Stephenson Erin Mentuch Cooper Micaela Bagley Karl Gebhardt Lindsay R. House Chenxu Liu Robin Ciardullo Caryl Gronwall Gary J. Hill Daniel Farrow Donald P. Schneider The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys The Astrophysical Journal Galaxies Lyα galaxies Galaxy properties |
| title | The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys |
| title_full | The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys |
| title_fullStr | The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys |
| title_short | The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys |
| title_sort | lyα dependence on nebular properties from the hetdex and mosdef surveys |
| topic | Galaxies Lyα galaxies Galaxy properties |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7a00 |
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