The Wyoming Survey for Hα. I. Initial results at z ∼ 0.16 and 0.24

Daniel A. Dale, Rebecca J. Barlow, Seth A. Cohen, L. Clifton Johnson, Shianne M. Kattner, Christine A. Lamanna, Carolynn A. Moore, Micah D. Schuster, Jacob W. Thatcher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Wyoming Survey for Hα, or WySH, is a large-area, ground-based, narrowband imaging survey for Hα-emitting galaxies over the latter half of the age of the universe. The survey spans several square degrees in a set of fields of low Galactic cirrus emission. The observing program focuses on multiple Δz 0.02 epochs from z 0.16 to z 0.81 down to a uniform (continuum+line) luminosity at each epoch of 1033 W uncorrected for extinction (3σ for a 3″ diameter aperture). First results are presented here for 98+208 galaxies observed over approximately 2 deg2 at redshifts z 0.16 and 0.24, including preliminary luminosity functions at these two epochs. These data clearly show an evolution with lookback time in the volume-averaged cosmic star-formation rate. Integrals of Schechter fits to the extinction-corrected Hα luminosity functions indicate star-formation rates per co-moving volume of 0.009 and 0.014 h 70 M yr-1 Mpc-3 at z 0.16 and 0.24, respectively. The formal uncertainties in the Schechter fits, based on this initial subset of the survey, correspond to uncertainties in the cosmic star formation rate density at the ≳40% level; the tentative uncertainty due to cosmic variance is 25%, estimated from separately carrying out the analysis on data from the first two fields with substantial datasets.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1412-1420
Number of pages9
JournalAstronomical Journal
Volume135
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2008

Funding

Keywords

  • Galaxies: evolution
  • Galaxies: luminosity function, mass function

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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