Rotation on sub-kpc scales in the strongly lensed z~3 'arc&core' and implications for high-redshift galaxy dynamics
Loading...
Date
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Description
Strongly lensed galaxies at high redshift provide a unique window into the early universe. We compare the internal kinematics of the strongly lensed Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) 'arc&core' at z=3.2 (the first strongly lensed z~3 LBG with the signs of rotation on sub-kiloparsec scales) with an LBG that is not gravitationally lensed, as well as with a larger sample of actively star-forming galaxies at slightly lower redshifts. All galaxies have deep rest-frame optical integral-field spectroscopy obtained with the VLT. The unlensed galaxies appear to have a larger ratio of random to bulk motion. Field galaxies also have broader lines than strongly lensed LBGs with rest-optical spectroscopy, where spectra were extracted from regions with similar physical size. To ensure observational success, studies of high-redshift galaxy kinematics often focus on bright and luminous targets, and our comparison suggests that this may lead to a serious bias.
To appear in the proceedings of the annual meeting of the French Society of Astronomy and Astrophysics (SF2A) held in Paris, July 2008
To appear in the proceedings of the annual meeting of the French Society of Astronomy and Astrophysics (SF2A) held in Paris, July 2008