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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/95501
- Title
- The cross-correlation of damped Lyman-α systems and Lyman break galaxies
- Author(s)
- Cooke, Jeff; Wolfe, Arthur M.; Prochaska, Jason X.; Gawiser, Eric
- Abstract
- We present the results from a survey for Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) associated with damped Lyman α systems (DLAs) at z ∼ 3 with the primary purpose of inferring the mass of DLAs from the DLA-LBG cross-correlation. We acquired imaging and spectroscopic data of nine quasar fields having 11 known z ∼ 3 DLAs over a total survey area of 465 arcmin2. Using deep u′BVRI images, 796 LBG candidates with apparent magnitude 20 < R < 25.5 were photometrically selected from 17, 343 sources detected in the field. Spectroscopic observations of 529 LBG candidates using the Keck Observatory yielded 339 redshifts. We conservatively identify 205z > 2 LBGs and 6z > 2 QSOs with (z) = 3.02 ± 0.32 and present evidence of a spike of five LBGs associated with the z = 2.936 DLA in the PSS0808+5215 field. In addition, two of the discovered QSOs lie within Δz ≤ 0.015 of two of the DLAs. We compute the best fit correlation parameters of r0 = 2.65 ± 0.5, γ = 1.55 ± 0.4 for the LBG auto-correlation and r0 = 3.32 ± 1.3, γ = 1.74 ± 1.0 the DLA-LBG cross-correlation. Both values are consistent with the LBG auto-correlation values of [Adelberger, K.L., Steidel, C.C., Shapley, A.E., Pettini, M., 2003. ApJ 584, 45] within error. Finally, we introduce a one-degree deep survey underway to improve the DLA-LBG cross-correlation statistics and study the behavior of 3.5 < z < 5 systems on large scales.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- New Astronomy Reviews: incorporating the proceedings of 'First light and reionization: theoretical study and experimental detection of first luminous sources in the universe', Irvine California, United States, 18-21 May 2005 / Asantha Cooray and Elizabeth Barton (eds.), Vol. 50, no. 1-3 (Mar 2006), pp. 35-39
- Publication year
- 2006
- FOR Code(s)
- 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
- Keyword(s)
- Absorption lines; Damped Lyman Alpha systems; DLAs; Galaxy formation; High redshift galaxies; LBGs; Lyman break galaxies; Quasars
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 1387-6473
- Publisher URL
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.newar.2005.11.008
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Peer reviewed
