Equivalent width

Abstract: We present the results of a systematic study of the rest-frame UV spectroscopic properties of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs). The database of almost 1000 LBG spectra proves useful for constructing high S/N composite spectra. The composite spectrum of the entire sample reveals a wealth of features attributable to hot stars, HII regions, dust, and outflowing neutral and ionized gas. By grouping the database according to galaxy parameters such as Lyman-alpha equivalent width, UV spectral slope, and interstellar kinematics, we isolate some of the major trends in LBG spectra which are least compromised by selection effects. We find that LBGs with stronger Lyman-alpha emission have bluer UV continua, weaker low-ionization interstellar absorption lines, smaller kinematic offsets between Lyman-alpha and the interstellar absorption lines, and lower star-formation rates. There is a decoupling between the dependence of low- and high-ionization outflow features on other spectral properties. Most of the above trends can be explained in terms of the properties of the large-scale outflows seen in LBGs. According to this scenario, the appearance of LBG spectra is determined by a combination of the covering fraction of outflowing neutral gas which contains dust, and the range of velocities over which this gas is absorbing. Higher sensitivity and spectral resolution observations are still required for a full understanding of the covering fraction and velocity dispersion of the outflowing neutral gas in LBGs, and its relationship to the escape fraction of Lyman continuum radiation in galaxies at z~3.

Abstract: The study of stellar populations in galaxies is entering a new era with the availability of large and high-quality data bases of both observed galactic spectra and state-of-the-art evolutionary synthesis models. In this paper we investigate the power of spectral synthesis as a means to estimate the physical properties of galaxies. Spectral synthesis is nothing more than the decomposition of an observed spectrum in terms of a superposition of a base of simple stellar populations of various ages and metallicities, producing as output the star formation and chemical histories of a galaxy, its extinction and velocity dispersion. Our implementation of this method uses the recent models of Bruzual & Charlot and observed spectra in the 3650–8000 A range. The reliability of this approach is studied by three different means: (1) simulations, (2) comparison with previous work based on a different technique, and (3) analysis of the consistency of results obtained for a sample of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We find that spectral synthesis provides reliable physical parameters as long as one does not attempt a very detailed description of the star formation and chemical histories. Robust and physically interesting parameters are obtained by combining the (individually uncertain) strengths of each simple stellar population in the base. In particular, we show that, besides providing excellent fits to observed galaxy spectra, this method is able to recover useful information on the distributions of stellar ages and, more importantly, stellar metallicities. Stellar masses, velocity dispersion and extinction are also found to be accurately retrieved for realistic signal-to-noise ratios. We apply this synthesis method to a volume-limited sample of 50 362 galaxies from the SDSS Data Release 2, producing a catalogue of stellar population properties. Emission lines are also studied, their measurement being performed after subtracting the computed starlight spectrum from the observed one. A comparison with recent estimates of both observed and physical properties of these galaxies obtained by other groups shows good qualitative and quantitative agreement, despite substantial differences in the methods of analysis. The confidence in the present method is further strengthened by several empirical and astrophysically reasonable correlations between synthesis results and independent quantities. For instance, we report the existence of strong correlations between stellar and nebular metallicities, stellar and nebular extinctions, mean stellar age and equivalent width of Hα and 4000-A break, and between stellar mass and velocity dispersion.

Abstract: We present a new model to compute the effects of dust on the integrated spectral properties of galaxies, based on an idealized prescription of the main features of the interstellar medium (ISM). The model includes the ionization of HII regions in the interiors of the dense clouds in which stars form and the influence of the finite lifetime of these clouds on the absorption of radiation. We compute the production of emission lines and the absorption of continuum radiation in the HII regions and the subsequent transfer of line and continuum radiation in the surrounding HI regions and the ambient ISM. This enables us to interpret simultaneously all the observations of a homogeneous sample of nearby UV-selected starburst galaxies, including the ratio of far-IR to UV luminosities, the ratio of Halpha to Hbeta luminosities, the Halpha equivalent width, and the UV spectral slope. We show that the finite lifetime of stellar birth clouds is a key ingredient to resolve an apparent discrepancy between the attenuation of line and continuum photons in starburst galaxies. In addition, we find that an effective absorption curve proportional to lambda^-0.7 reproduces the observed relation between the ratio of far-IR to UV luminosities and the UV spectral slope. We interpret this relation most simply as a sequence in the overall dust content of the galaxies. The shallow wavelength dependence of the effective absorption curve is compatible with the steepness of known extinction curves if the dust has a patchy distribution. In particular, we find that a random distribution of discrete clouds with optical depths similar to those in the Milky Way provides a consistent interpretation of all the observations. Our model for absorption can be incorporated easily into any population synthesis model. (abridged)

Abstract: A very high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N of about 400) composite spectrum of the rest-frame ultraviolet and optical region of high luminosity quasars is presented. The spectrum is derived from 718 individual spectra obtained as part of the Large Bright Quasar Survey. The moderate resolution, 4A or less, and high signal-to-noise ratio allow numerous weak emission features to be identified. Of particular note is the large equivalent-width of the Fe II emission in the rest-frame ultraviolet and the blue continuum slope of the composite. The primary aim of this paper is to provide a reference spectrum for use in line identifications, and a series of large-scale representations of the composite spectrum are shown. A measure of the standard deviation of the individual quasar spectra from the composite spectrum is also presented. 12 refs.