Reanalysis of the spectrum of the z = 10 galaxy

Free access article

Issue		A&A Volume 428, Number 3, December IV 2004


Page(s)		L29 - L32
Section		Letters
DOI		http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200400099

A&A 428, L29-L32 (2004)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:200400099

Letter

Reanalysis of the spectrum of the z = 10 galaxy

S. J. Weatherley, S. J. Warren and T. S. R. Babbedge

Astrophysics Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BW, UK
e-mail: stephen.weatherley@imperial.ac.uk

(Received 26 July 2004 / Accepted 2 November 2004)

Abstract
In a recent paper Pelló et al. reported observations of a faint galaxy, gravitationally lensed by the galaxy cluster Abell 1835. Deep J-band spectroscopy revealed a weak emission line near 1.34 microns, detected in two spectra with different central wavelengths. The line was interpreted as Ly $\alpha$ at redshift z=10.0. This interpretation is supported by the broad-band photometric spectral energy distribution, and by the location of the galaxy close to the lens critical line for this redshift. We have reanalysed the two spectra, just released from the data archive. Our analysis includes allowance for wavelength shifts due to transverse drift of the object in the slit. We do not detect a significant emission line at the reported location, or nearby, at either grating setting, nor in the combined spectrum. We provide a possible explanation for the reported detection as due to spurious positive flux introduced in the sky-subtraction stage as a result of variable hot pixels. We provide our final reduced 2D frame, and corresponding error array.

Key words: galaxies: high redshift -- infrared: galaxies -- cosmology: observations -- cosmology: early Universe

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