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  1. Abstract

    Euclid and the Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will soon use grism spectroscopy to detect millions of galaxies via their Hαand [Oiii]λ5007 emission. To better constrain the expected galaxy counts from these instruments, we use a vetted sample of 4239 emission-line galaxies from the 3D Hubble Space Telescope survey to measure the Hαand [Oiii]λ5007 luminosity functions between 1.16 <z< 1.90; this sample is ∼4 times larger than previous studies at this redshift. We find very good agreement with previous measurements for Hα, but for [Oiii], we predict a higher number of intermediate-luminosity galaxies than from previous works. We find that, for both lines, the characteristic luminosity,*, increases monotonically with redshift, and use the Hαluminosity function to calculate the epoch’s cosmic star formation rate density. We find that Hα-visible galaxies account for ∼81% of the epoch’s total star formation rate, and this value changes very little over the 1.16 <z< 1.56 redshift range. Finally, we derive the surface density of galaxies as a function of limiting flux and find that previous predictions for galaxy counts for the Euclid Wide Survey are unchanged, but there may be more [Oiii] galaxies in the Roman High Latitude Survey than previouslymore »estimated.

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  2. Abstract

    The Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) is a large-volume spectroscopic survey without preselection of sources, searching ∼540 deg2for Lyαemitting galaxies (LAEs) at 1.9 <z< 3.5. Taking advantage of such a wide-volume survey, we perform a pilot study using early HETDEX data to search for lensed Lyαemitters (LAEs). After performing a proof of concept using a previously known lensed LAE covered by HETDEX, we perform a search for previously unknown lensed LAEs in the HETDEX spectroscopic sample. We present a catalog of 26 potential LAEs lensed by foreground, red, non-star-forming galaxies atz∼ 0.4–0.7. We estimate the magnification for each candidate system, finding 12 candidates to be within the strong lensing regime (magnificationμ> 2). Follow-up observations of these potential lensed LAEs have the potential to confirm their lensed nature and explore these distant galaxies in more detail.

  3. Abstract

    We report an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with an extremely high equivalent width (EW), EWLyα+N V,rest≳921Å, in the rest frame, atz∼ 2.24 in the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment Survey (HETDEX), as a representative case of the high-EW AGN population. The continuum level is a nondetection in the HETDEX spectrum; thus the measured EW is a lower limit. The source is detected with significant emission lines (>7σ) at Lyα+ Nvλ1241, Civλ1549, and a moderate emission line (∼4σ) at Heiiλ1640 within the wavelength coverage of HETDEX (3500–5500 Å). Ther-band magnitude is 24.57 from the Hyper Suprime-Cam-HETDEX joint survey with a detection limit ofr= 25.12 at 5σ. The Lyαemission line spans a clearly resolved region of ∼10″ (85 kpc) in diameter. The Lyαline profile is strongly double peaked. The spectral decomposed blue gas and red gas Lyαemission are separated by ∼1.″2 (10.1 kpc) with a line-of-sight velocity offset of ∼1100 km s−1. This source is probably an obscured AGN with powerful winds.

  4. Abstract We present the first active galactic nuclei (AGN) catalog of the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment Survey (HETDEX) observed between 2017 January and 2020 June. HETDEX is an ongoing spectroscopic survey (3500–5500 Å) with no target preselection based on magnitudes, colors or morphologies, enabling us to select AGN based solely on their spectral features. Both luminous quasars and low-luminosity Seyferts are found in our catalog. AGN candidates are selected with at least two significant AGN emission lines, such as the Ly α and C iv λ 1549 line pair, or with a single broad emission line with FWHM > 1000 km s −1 . Each source is further confirmed by visual inspections. This catalog contains 5322 AGN, covering an effective sky coverage of 30.61 deg 2 . A total of 3733 of these AGN have secure redshifts, and we provide redshift estimates for the remaining 1589 single broad-line AGN with no crossmatched spectral redshifts from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 14 of QSOs. The redshift range of the AGN catalog is 0.25 < z < 4.32, with a median of z = 2.1. The bolometric luminosity range is 10 9 –10 14 L ☉ with a medianmore »of 10 12 L ☉ . The median r -band magnitude of our AGN catalog is 21.6 mag, with 34% having r > 22.5, and 2.6% reaching the detection limit at r ∼ 26 mag of the deepest imaging surveys we searched. We also provide a composite spectrum of the AGN sample covering 700–4400 Å.« less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 21, 2023
  5. Abstract

    We present the Lyαemission line luminosity function (LF) of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the first release of the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment Survey (HETDEX) AGN catalog. The AGN are selected either by emission line pairs characteristic of AGN or by a single broad emission line, free of any photometric preselections (magnitude/color/morphology). The sample consists of 2346 AGN spanning 1.88 <z< 3.53, covering an effective area of 30.61 deg2. Approximately 2.6% of the HETDEX AGN are not detected at >5σconfidence atr∼ 26 in the deepestr-band images we have searched. The Lyαline luminosity ranges from ∼1042.3to 1045.9erg s−1. Our LyαLF shows a turnover luminosity with opposite slopes on the bright end and the faint end: The space density is highest atLLyα=1043.4erg s−1. We explore the evolution of the AGN LF over a broader redshift range (0.8 <z< 3); constructing the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) LF with the 1450 Å monochromatic luminosity of the power-law component of the continuum (M1450) fromM1450∼ −18 to −27.5. We divide the sample into three redshift bins (z∼ 1.5, 2.1, and 2.6). In all three redshift bins, our UV LFs indicate that the space density of AGN is highest at themore »turnover luminosityM1450*with opposite slopes on the bright end and the faint end. TheM1450LFs in the three redshift bins can be well fit with a luminosity evolution and density evolution model: the turnover luminosity (M1450*) increases, and the turnover density (Φ*) decreases with increasing redshift.

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  6. Abstract

    We present extended Lyαemission out to 800 kpc of 1034 [Oiii]-selected galaxies at redshifts 1.9 <z< 2.35 using the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment. The locations and redshifts of the galaxies are taken from the 3D-HST survey. The median-stacked surface brightness profile of the Lyαemission of the [Oiii]-selected galaxies agrees well with that of 968 bright Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) atr> 40 kpc from the galaxy centers. The surface brightness in the inner parts (r< 10 kpc) around the [Oiii]-selected galaxies, however, is 10 times fainter than that of the LAEs. Our results are consistent with the notion that photons dominating the outer regions of the Lyαhalos are not produced in the central galaxies but originate outside of them.

  7. Abstract

    We present the results of a stellar population analysis of 72 Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) in GOODS-N at 1.9 <z< 3.5 spectroscopically identified by the Hobby−Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). We provide a method for connecting emission-line detections from the blind spectroscopic survey to imaging counterparts, a crucial tool needed as HETDEX builds a massive database of ∼1 million Lyαdetections. Using photometric data spanning as many as 11 filters covering 0.4 <λ(μm) < 4.5 from the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, we study the objects’ global properties and explore which properties impact the strength of Lyαemission. We measure a median stellar mass of0.80.5+2.9×109Mand conclude that the physical properties of HETDEX spectroscopically selected LAEs are comparable to LAEs selected by previous deep narrowband studies. We find that stellar mass and star formation rate correlate strongly with the Lyαequivalent width. We then use a known sample ofz> 7 LAEs to perform a protostudy of predicting Lyαemission from galaxies in the epoch of reionization, finding agreement at the 1σlevel between prediction and observation for the majority of strong emitters.

  8. Abstract

    We describe the survey design, calibration, commissioning, and emission-line detection algorithms for the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). The goal of HETDEX is to measure the redshifts of over a million Lyαemitting galaxies between 1.88 <z< 3.52, in a 540 deg2area encompassing a comoving volume of 10.9 Gpc3. No preselection of targets is involved; instead the HETDEX measurements are accomplished via a spectroscopic survey using a suite of wide-field integral field units distributed over the focal plane of the telescope. This survey measures the Hubble expansion parameter and angular diameter distance, with a final expected accuracy of better than 1%. We detail the project’s observational strategy, reduction pipeline, source detection, and catalog generation, and present initial results for science verification in the Cosmological Evolution Survey, Extended Groth Strip, and Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North fields. We demonstrate that our data reach the required specifications in throughput, astrometric accuracy, flux limit, and object detection, with the end products being a catalog of emission-line sources, their object classifications, and flux-calibrated spectra.