Issue |
A&A
Volume 455, Number 1, August III 2006
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 61 - 72 | |
Section | Cosmology (including clusters of galaxies) | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20064882 | |
Published online | 31 July 2006 |
The wide field imager Lyman-alpha search (WFILAS) for galaxies at redshift ~5.7
II. Survey design and sample analysis
1
Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston Creek ACT 2611, Australia e-mail: [westra;heath]@mso.anu.edu.au
2
Anglo-Australian Observatory, PO Box 296, Epping NSW 1710, Australia
3
European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile e-mail: [clidman;tszeifer;epompei;lvanzi]@eso.org
4
Max Planck Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany e-mail: meise@mpia.de
5
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Pune University Campus, Post Bag 3, Ganeshkhind Pune 411007, India e-mail: rathreya@ncra.tifr.res.in
6
Department of Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH, UK e-mail: cwolf@astro.ox.ac.uk
Received:
January
1900
Accepted:
28
April
2006
Context.Wide-field narrowband surveys are an efficient way of searching large volumes of high-redshift space for distant galaxies.
Aims.We describe the Wide Field Imager Lyman-Alpha Search (WFILAS) over
0.74 sq. degree for bright emission-line galaxies at .
Methods.WFILAS uses deep images taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the ESO/MPI 2.2 m telescope in three narrowband (70 Å), one encompassing intermediate band (220 Å) and two broadband filters, B and R. We use the novel technique of an encompassing intermediate band filter to exclude false detections. Images taken with broadband B and R filters are used to remove low redshift galaxies from our sample.
Results.We present a sample of seven Lyα emitting galaxy candidates, two of
which are spectroscopically confirmed. Compared to other surveys all
our candidates are bright, the results of this survey complements
other narrowband surveys at this redshift. Most of our candidates
are in the regime of bright luminosities, beyond the reach of less
voluminous surveys. Adding our candidates to those of another survey
increases the derived luminosity density by ~30%. We also
find potential clustering in the Chandra Deep Field South,
supporting overdensities discovered by other surveys. Based on a
FORS2/VLT spectrum we additionally present the analysis of the
second confirmed Lyα emitting galaxy in our sample. We find that
it is the brightest Lyα emitting galaxy
(1 erg s-1 cm-2) at this redshift to date and the
second confirmed candidate of our survey. Both objects exhibit the
presence of a possible second Lyα component redward of the line.
Key words: galaxies: high-redshift / galaxies: evolution / galaxies: starburst
© ESO, 2006
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