The Rest-Frame UV Spectrum of Elliptical Galaxies at High Redshift

TL;DR

This paper reviews methods for determining redshifts and star formation histories of high-redshift elliptical galaxies using their UV spectral features, focusing on the 2600-2850 Angstrom iron and magnesium lines.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of UV spectral features for studying passively evolving galaxies beyond redshift 1.4 and discusses observational efforts at major telescopes.

Findings

UV spectral features enable redshift determination at z > 1.4.

The 2600-2850 Angstrom iron and magnesium lines are key diagnostics.

Current observations at VLT and Subaru are advancing this field.

Abstract

Beyond redshift ~1.4 the only spectral feature that allows one to get the redshift of passively evolving galaxies (PEG) with optical spectrographs is a characteristic structure due to a set of iron and magnesium lines lines at 2600-2850 Angstrom in the rest frame. The same feature permits also to estimate the time elapsed since the cessation of star formation. Current efforts at observing high redshift PEGs at the VLT and SUBARU telescopes are briefly reviewed.