Stanway, Elizabeth R., Bunker, Andrew J. (Andrew John) and McMahon, R. G. (Richard G.) (2003) Lyman break galaxies and the star formation rate of the Universe at z ~ 6. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , Volume 342 (Number 2). pp. 439-445. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06546.x

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Abstract

We determine the space density of UV-luminous starburst galaxies at z≈ 6 using deep HST ACS SDSS-i′ (F775W) and SDSS-z′ (F850LP) and VLT ISAAC J and Ks band imaging of the Chandra Deep Field South. We find eight galaxies and one star with (i′−z′) > 1.5 to a depth of z′AB= 25.6 (an 8σ detection in each of the 3 available ACS epochs). This corresponds to an unobscured star formation rate of ≈15 h−270 M⊙ yr−1 at z= 5.9, equivalent to L* for the Lyman-break population at z= 3–4 (ΩΛ= 0.7, ΩM= 0.3). We are sensitive to star-forming galaxies at 5.6 ≲z≲ 7.0 with an effective comoving volume of ≈1.8 × 105h−370 Mpc3 after accounting for incompleteness at the higher redshifts due to luminosity bias. This volume should encompass the primeval subgalactic-scale fragments of the progenitors of about a thousand L* galaxies at the current epoch. We determine a volume-averaged global star formation rate of (6.7 ± 2.7) × 10−4h70 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 at z∼ 6 from rest-frame UV selected starbursts at the bright end of the luminosity function: this is a lower limit because of dust obscuration and galaxies below our sensitivity limit. This measurement shows that at z∼ 6 the star formation density at the bright end is a factor of ∼6 times less than that determined by Steidel et al. for a comparable sample of UV-selected galaxies at z= 3–4, and so extends our knowledge of the star formation history of the Universe to earlier times than previous work and into the epoch where reionization may have occurred.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Physics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Galaxies -- Discovery
Journal or Publication Title:	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	1365-2966
Official Date:	21 June 2003
Dates:	Date Event 21 June 2003 Published
Date of first compliant deposit:	27 December 2015
Volume:	Volume 342
Number:	Number 2
Page Range:	pp. 439-445
DOI:	10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06546.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder:	Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (Great Britain) (PPARC)

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