A Search for Lyman Break Galaxies at z>8 in the NICMOS Parallel Imaging Survey

February 2007 • 2007ApJ...656L...1H

Authors • Henry, Alaina L. • Malkan, Matthew A. • Colbert, James W. • Siana, Brian • Teplitz, Harry I. • McCarthy, Patrick • Yan, Lin

Abstract • We have selected 14 J-dropout Lyman break galaxy (LBG) candidates with J₁₁₀-H₁₆₀>=2.5 from the NICMOS Parallel Imaging Survey. This survey consists of 135 arcmin² of imaging in 228 independent sight lines, reaching average 5 σ sensitivities of J₁₁₀=25.8 and H₁₆₀=25.6 (AB). Distinguishing these candidates from dust-reddened star-forming galaxies at z~2-3 is difficult and will require longer wavelength observations. We consider the likelihood that any J-dropout LBGs exist in this survey and find that if L^*_z=9.5 is significantly brighter than L^*_z=6 (a factor of 4), then a few J-dropout LBGs are likely. A similar increase in luminosity has been suggested by Eyles et al. and Yan et al., but the magnitude of this increase is uncertain.

Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with proposals 9484, 9865, and 10226.

Links

• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0701045
• NED https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/uri/NED::InRefcode/2007ApJ...656L...1H
• ELECTR https://doi.org/10.1086%2F512066
• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=2007ApJ...656L...1H
• PDF https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/512066/pdf
• DATA https://archive.stsci.edu/mastbibref.php?bibcode=2007ApJ...656L...1H
• DATA https://hst.esac.esa.int/ehst/#/pages/search;bibcode=2007ApJ...656L...1H
• SPIRES http://inspirehep.net/search?p=find+eprint+astro-ph/0701045