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High-Resolution Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of an Equivalent Width-Selected Sample of Starbursting Dwarf Galaxies

Whitaker, Katherine E, Franx, Marijn, Maseda, Michael V, Rix, Hans-Walter, Trump, Jonathan R, DaChuna, Elisabete, VanDokkum, Pieter, Pacafichi, Camilla, Koekemoer, Anton M, Straughn, Amber N, Marchesini, Danilo, Wuyts, Stijn, Grogin, Norman A, Weiner, Benjamin J, Kocevski, Dale D, Brammer, Gabriel B, VanDerWeL, Arjen, Nelson, Erica J, Skelton, Rosalind E, Momcheva, Ivelina, Lundgren, Britt F, Bell, Eric F, Patel, Shannon, Fumagalli, Mattia, Ferguson, Harry C

2013

Overview

Spectroscopic observations from the Large Binocular Telescope and the Very Large Telescope reveal kinematically narrow lines (approx. 50 km/s) for a sample of 14 Extreme Emission Line Galaxies (EELGs) at redshifts 1.4 < zeta < 2.3. These measurements imply that the total dynamical masses of these systems are low ( 3 × 10(exp 9) M). Their large [O III]5007 equivalent widths (500 − 1100 A) and faint blue continuum emission imply young ages of 10−100 Myr and stellar masses of 10(exp 8)−10(exp 9) M, confirming the presence of a violent starburst. The stellar mass formed in this vigorous starburst phase thus represents a large fraction of the total (dynamical) mass, without a significantly massive underlying population of older stars. The occurrence of such intense events in shallow potentials strongly suggests that supernova-driven winds must be of critical importance in the subsequent evolution of these systems.

• Publisher: NASA/Langley Research Center
• Subject: Dwarf galaxies / Equivalence / Infrared spectra / Near infrared radiation / Stellar age / Stellar evolution / Stellar mass / Very Large Telescope