Star Formation and Extinction in Redshift z~2 Galaxies: Inferences from Spitzer MIPS Observations

By Naveen A. Reddy, C. Steidel, D. Fadda, Lin Yan, M. Pettini, A. Shapley, D. Erb, K. Adelberger. 2006

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We use very deep Spitzer MIPS 24 μm observations to examine the bolometric luminosities (Lbol) and UV extinction properties of more than 200 spectroscopically identified, optically selected (UnGℛ) z ~ 2 galaxies, supplemented with near-IR-selected ("BzK" and "DRG") and submillimeter galaxies at similar redshifts, in the GOODS-N field. Focusing on redshifts 1.5 < z < 2.6, where 24 μm observations measure the strength of the mid-IR PAH feature, we find that the rest-frame 5-8.5 μm luminosities (L5-8.5 μm) are particularly tightly constrained for objects in our sample with precise spectroscopic redshifts. We demonstrate, using stacked X-ray observations and a subset of galaxies with Hα measurements, that L5-8.5 μm provides a reliable estimate of LIR for most star-forming galaxies at z ~ 2. We show that the range of LIR in the optical/near-IR-selected samples considered extends from ≃1010 to >1012 L☉, with a mean ⟨LIR⟩ ≃ 2 × 1011 L☉. Using 24 μm observations as an independent probe of dust extinction, we find that, as in the local universe, the obscuration LIR/L1600 is strongly dependent on Lbol and ranges in value from <1 to ~1000 within the sample considered. However, the obscuration is generally ~10 times smaller at a given Lbol at z ~ 2 than at z ~ 0. We show that the values of LIR and obscuration inferred from the UV spectral slope β generally agree well with the values inferred from L5-8.5 μm for Lbol < 1012 L☉. Using the specific SFRs of galaxies as a proxy for cold gas fraction, we find a wide range in the evolutionary state of galaxies at z ~ 2, from galaxies that have just begun to form stars to those that have already accumulated most of their stellar mass and are about to become, or already are, passively evolving.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation

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The Stellar Mass Assembly of Galaxies from z = 0 to z = 4: Analysis of a Sample Selected in the Rest-Frame Near-Infrared with Spitzer (2007, methodology): “There are also minor prominences at z=1.5–2.0 and z=2.0–2.5, which are also seen in the spectroscopic follow-up of UV-selected galaxies in Reddy et al. (2006a).”
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z ~ 7-10 Galaxies in the HUDF and GOODS Fields: UV Luminosity Functions (2008, background): “…to z ∼ 3 is motivated by the apparent evolution in UV -continuum slope over this redshift range (e.g., Stanway et al. 2005; Bouwens et al. 2006) and the correlation of UV -continuum slope with dust extinction (e.g., Meurer et al. 1999; Reddy et al. 2006). cUpper limits here are 1σ (68% confidence).”
AN ULTRA-DEEP NEAR-INFRARED SPECTRUM OF A COMPACT QUIESCENT GALAXY AT z = 2.2 (2009, background): “Reddy et al. (2006) found a similar relation at high redshift.”
Galaxies on FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments): stellar feedback explains cosmologically inefficient star formation (2013, background): “But they also produce galaxies with SF histories at high-z that disagree with direct observational constraints (see Papovich et al. 2005; Reddy et al. 2006; Stark et al. 2009).”
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The high‐redshift galaxy population in hierarchical galaxy formation models (2006, background): “2 at rest-frame1600 Å, showing that dust-to-gas ratios are lower at c© 0000 RAS, MNRAS000, 000–000 this redshift compared to the local universe for objects of the same Lbol and metallicity (a result echoed in Reddy et al. 2006).”
UV Luminosity Functions at z~4, 5, and 6 from the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and Other Deep Hubble Space Telescope ACS Fields: Evolution and Star Formation History (2007, background): “This may be partially due to the gradual depletion of the cold gas reservoirs in galaxies with cosmic time (independent of mass) and partially due to the preferential depletion of gas in the highest mass galaxies (e.g., Erb et al. 2006; Reddy et al. 2006; Noeske et al. 2007).”