z~7-10 Galaxies behind Lensing Clusters: Contrast with Field Search Results
Rychard J. Bouwens (UCSC), Garth D. Illingworth (UCSC), Larry D., Bradley (JHU), Holland Ford (JHU), Marijn Franx (Leiden), Wei Zheng (JHU),, Tom Broadhurst (Tel Aviv), Dan Coe (JPL), M. James Jee (UCD)

TL;DR
This study searches for z>~7 galaxies behind lensing clusters using HST data, finding fewer candidates than previous reports and suggesting lensing is more effective for brighter galaxies, with limited utility for faint-end LF constraints.
Contribution
It provides a systematic search for high-redshift galaxies behind lensing clusters and compares results with field expectations, highlighting the limited effectiveness of lensing for faint galaxy detection.
Findings
Only one robust z~7 candidate found, consistent with expectations.
Number of candidates is lower than previous studies, indicating possible overestimations.
Lensing is more effective for detecting brighter galaxies than faint ones.
Abstract
We conduct a search for z>~7 dropout galaxies behind 11 massive lensing clusters using 21 arcmin**2 of deep HST NICMOS, ACS, and WFPC2 image data. In total, over this entire area, we find only one robust z~7 z-dropout candidate (previously reported around Abell 1689). Four less robust z-dropout and J-dropout candidates are also found. The nature of the four weaker candidates could not be precisely determined due to the limited depth of the available optical data, but detailed simulations suggest that all four could be low-redshift interlopers. We compare these numbers with what we might expect using the z~7 UV luminosity function (LF) determined from field searches. We predict 2.7 z~7 z-dropouts and 0.3 z~9 J-dropouts over our cluster search area, in reasonable agreement with our observational results, given the small numbers. The number of z>~7 candidates we find in the present search…
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