The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] survey. Dust attenuation properties and obscured star formation at z ∼ 4.4-5.8

November 2020 • 2020A&A...643A...4F

Authors • Fudamoto, Y. • Oesch, P. A. • Faisst, A. • Béthermin, M. • Ginolfi, M. • Khusanova, Y. • Loiacono, F. • Le Fèvre, O. • Capak, P. • Schaerer, D. • Silverman, J. D. • Cassata, P. • Yan, L. • Amorin, R. • Bardelli, S. • Boquien, M. • Cimatti, A. • Dessauges-Zavadsky, M. • Fujimoto, S. • Gruppioni, C. • Hathi, N. P. • Ibar, E. • Jones, G. C. • Koekemoer, A. M. • Lagache, G. • Lemaux, B. C. • Maiolino, R. • Narayanan, D. • Pozzi, F. • Riechers, D. A. • Rodighiero, G. • Talia, M. • Toft, S. • Vallini, L. • Vergani, D. • Zamorani, G. • Zucca, E.

Abstract • We present dust attenuation properties of spectroscopically confirmed star forming galaxies on the main sequence at a redshift of ∼4.4 - 5.8. Our analyses are based on the far infrared continuum observations of 118 galaxies at rest-frame 158 μm obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early times (ALPINE). We study the connection between the ultraviolet (UV) spectral slope (β), stellar mass (M_⋆), and infrared excess (IRX = L_IR/L_UV). Twenty-three galaxies are individually detected in the continuum at > 3.5σ significance. We perform a stacking analysis using both detections and nondetections to study the average dust attenuation properties at z ∼ 4.4 - 5.8. The individual detections and stacks show that the IRX-β relation at z ∼ 5 is consistent with a steeper dust attenuation curve than typically found at lower redshifts (z < 4). The attenuation curve is similar to or even steeper than that of the extinction curve of the Small Magellanic Cloud. This systematic change of the IRX-β relation as a function of redshift suggests an evolution of dust attenuation properties at z > 4. Similarly, we find that our galaxies have lower IRX values, up to 1 dex on average, at a fixed mass compared to previously studied IRX-M_⋆ relations at z ≲ 4, albeit with significant scatter. This implies a lower obscured fraction of star formation than at lower redshifts. Our results suggest that dust properties of UV-selected star forming galaxies at z ≳ 4 are characterised by (i) a steeper attenuation curve than at z ≲ 4, and (ii) a rapidly decreasing dust obscured fraction of star formation as a function of redshift. Nevertheless, even among this UV-selected sample, massive galaxies (log M_⋆/M_⊙ > 10) at z ∼ 5 - 6 already exhibit an obscured fraction of star formation of ∼45%, indicating a rapid build-up of dust during the epoch of reionization.

Links

• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/2004.10760
• POSTSCRIPT https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202038163/postscript
• ELECTR https://doi.org/10.1051%2F0004-6361%2F202038163
• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=2020A%26A...643A...4F
• PDF https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202038163/pdf
• DATA http://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/643/A4
• DATA http://archive.eso.org/bin/ads2eso?2020A%26A...643A...4F
• DATA https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/bibdata/2020/F/2020A&A...643A...4F.html
• DATA https://telbib.eso.org/detail.php?bibcode=2020A%26A...643A...4F