The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys

Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz; Gene C. K. Leung; Steven L. Finkelstein; Dustin Davis; Ralph S. Sutherland; David C. Nicholls; Mabel Stephenson; Erin Mentuch Cooper; Micaela Bagley; Karl Gebhardt; Lindsay R. House; Chenxu Liu; Robin Ciardullo; Caryl Gronwall; Gary J. Hill; Daniel Farrow; Donald P. Schneider

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad7a00

The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)

The Lyα Dependence on Nebular Properties from the HETDEX and MOSDEF Surveys

Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz,
Gene C. K. Leung,
Steven L. Finkelstein,
Dustin Davis,
Ralph S. Sutherland,
David C. Nicholls,
Mabel Stephenson,
Erin Mentuch Cooper,
Micaela Bagley,
Karl Gebhardt,
Lindsay R. House,
Chenxu Liu,
Robin Ciardullo,
Caryl Gronwall,
Gary J. Hill,
Daniel Farrow,
Donald P. Schneider

Affiliations

Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Gene C. K. Leung: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Steven L. Finkelstein: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Dustin Davis: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Ralph S. Sutherland: ORCiD; Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT, Australia
David C. Nicholls: ORCiD; Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT, Australia
Mabel Stephenson: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Erin Mentuch Cooper: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Micaela Bagley: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Karl Gebhardt: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Lindsay R. House: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Chenxu Liu: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Austin, TX 78712, USA; South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University , Kunming, Yunnan 650500, People's Republic of China
Robin Ciardullo: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA
Caryl Gronwall: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA
Gary J. Hill: ORCiD; McDonald Observatory, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Stop C1402, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Boulevard, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Daniel Farrow: ORCiD; Centre of Excellence for AI, Data Science and Modeling (DAIM), University of Hull , Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK; E. A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics, University of Hull , Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
Donald P. Schneider: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7a00
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 977, no. 1
p. 107

Abstract

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Investigating the impact of galaxy properties on emergent Ly α emission is crucial for reionization studies, given the sensitivity of Ly α to neutral hydrogen. This study presents an analysis of the physical characteristics of 155 star-forming galaxies, 29 with Ly α detected, and 126 with Ly α not detected with Ly α EW 2 σ significance, as determined via a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Moreover, there are weaker (≲1 σ significance) indications that the ionization parameter and metallicity differ between the two samples. Our results demonstrate that the escape fraction of Ly α ( ${f}_{\mathrm{esc}}^{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha }$ ) is inversely correlated with stellar mass, star formation rate, and dust attenuation, while it is positively correlated with the ionization parameter, with significance levels exceeding 2 σ . Our findings suggest that the interstellar environments of Ly α -detected galaxies, characterized by low mass, low dust, low gas-phase metallicity, and high ionization parameters, play a pivotal role in promoting the escape of Ly α radiation.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal

ISSN: 1538-4357 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X

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