Rights statement: This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version S Santos, D Sobral, J Butterworth, A Paulino-Afonso, B Ribeiro, E da Cunha, J Calhau, A A Khostovan, J Matthee, P Arrabal Haro, The evolution of the UV luminosity and stellar mass functions of Lyman-α emitters from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 6, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 505, Issue 1, July 2021, Pages 1117–1134, https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1218 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/505/1/1117/6261210
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The evolution of the UV luminosity and stellar mass functions of Lyman-α emitters from z ~2 to z ~6
AU - Santos, S.
AU - Sobral, D.
AU - Butterworth, J.
AU - Paulino-Afonso, A.
AU - Ribeiro, B.
AU - Da Cunha, E.
AU - Calhau, J.
AU - Khostovan, A.A.
AU - Matthee, J.
AU - Arrabal Haro, P.
N1 - This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version S Santos, D Sobral, J Butterworth, A Paulino-Afonso, B Ribeiro, E da Cunha, J Calhau, A A Khostovan, J Matthee, P Arrabal Haro, The evolution of the UV luminosity and stellar mass functions of Lyman-α emitters from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 6, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 505, Issue 1, July 2021, Pages 1117–1134, https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1218 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/505/1/1117/6261210
PY - 2021/7/31
Y1 - 2021/7/31
N2 - We measure the evolution of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and the stellar mass function (SMF) of Lyman-α (Ly α) emitters (LAEs) from z ~ 2 to z ~ 6 by exploring ~4000 LAEs from the SC4K sample. We find a correlation between Ly α luminosity (LLy α) and rest-frame UV (MUV), with best fit MUV = -1.6+0.2-0.3 log10(LLy α/erg s-1) + 47+12-11 and a shallower relation between LLy α and stellar mass (M∗), with best fit log10(M∗/M·) = 0.9+0.1-0.1 log10(LLy α/erg s-1) - 28+4.0-3.8. An increasing LLy α cut predominantly lowers the number density of faint MUV and low M∗ LAEs. We estimate a proxy for the full UV LFs and SMFs of LAEs with simple assumptions of the faint end slope. For the UV LF, we find a brightening of the characteristic UV luminosity (M∗UV) with increasing redshift and a decrease of the characteristic number density (Φ∗). For the SMF, we measure a characteristic stellar mass (M∗∗/M·) increase with increasing redshift, and a Φ∗ decline. However, if we apply a uniform luminosity cut of log10(LLy α/erg s-1) ≥ 43.0, we find much milder to no evolution in the UV and SMF of LAEs. The UV luminosity density (ρUV) of the full sample of LAEs shows moderate evolution and the stellar mass density (ρM) decreases, with both being always lower than the total ρUV and ρM of more typical galaxies but slowly approaching them with increasing redshift. Overall, our results indicate that both ρUV and ρM of LAEs slowly approach the measurements of continuum-selected galaxies at z > 6, which suggests a key role of LAEs in the epoch of reionization.
AB - We measure the evolution of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and the stellar mass function (SMF) of Lyman-α (Ly α) emitters (LAEs) from z ~ 2 to z ~ 6 by exploring ~4000 LAEs from the SC4K sample. We find a correlation between Ly α luminosity (LLy α) and rest-frame UV (MUV), with best fit MUV = -1.6+0.2-0.3 log10(LLy α/erg s-1) + 47+12-11 and a shallower relation between LLy α and stellar mass (M∗), with best fit log10(M∗/M·) = 0.9+0.1-0.1 log10(LLy α/erg s-1) - 28+4.0-3.8. An increasing LLy α cut predominantly lowers the number density of faint MUV and low M∗ LAEs. We estimate a proxy for the full UV LFs and SMFs of LAEs with simple assumptions of the faint end slope. For the UV LF, we find a brightening of the characteristic UV luminosity (M∗UV) with increasing redshift and a decrease of the characteristic number density (Φ∗). For the SMF, we measure a characteristic stellar mass (M∗∗/M·) increase with increasing redshift, and a Φ∗ decline. However, if we apply a uniform luminosity cut of log10(LLy α/erg s-1) ≥ 43.0, we find much milder to no evolution in the UV and SMF of LAEs. The UV luminosity density (ρUV) of the full sample of LAEs shows moderate evolution and the stellar mass density (ρM) decreases, with both being always lower than the total ρUV and ρM of more typical galaxies but slowly approaching them with increasing redshift. Overall, our results indicate that both ρUV and ρM of LAEs slowly approach the measurements of continuum-selected galaxies at z > 6, which suggests a key role of LAEs in the epoch of reionization.
KW - Evolution - galaxies
KW - Galaxies
KW - High-redshift - galaxies
KW - Luminosity function, mass function
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stab1218
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stab1218
M3 - Journal article
VL - 505
SP - 1117
EP - 1134
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
SN - 0035-8711
IS - 1
ER -