Star-Forming Galaxies at z=0.24 in the Subaru Deep Field and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

TL;DR

This study identifies and analyzes Halpha emitting galaxies at z=0.24 using Subaru Deep Field and SDSS data, deriving luminosity functions, star formation rates, and clustering properties of these star-forming galaxies.

Contribution

It provides the first combined Halpha luminosity function at z=0.24 from Subaru and SDSS data, and investigates their clustering behavior.

Findings

Derived Schechter function parameters for Halpha luminosity function.

Estimated star formation rate density at z=0.24.

Found weak clustering of star-forming galaxies at this redshift.

Abstract

We make a search for Halpha emitting galaxies at z=0.24 in the Subaru Deep Field (SDF) using the archival data set obtained with the Subaru Telescope. We carefully select Halpha emitters in the narrowband filter NB816, using B, V, Rc, i', and z' broad-band colors. We obtain a sample of 258 emitting galaxies with observed equivalent widths of (Halpha+[NII]6548,6584) greater than 12 angstrom. We also analyze a sample of Halpha emitters taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to constrain the luminous end of Halpha luminosity function. Using the same selection criteria as for the SDF, and after excluding AGNs, we obtain 317 Halpha emitting star-forming galaxies. Combining these two samples of Halpha emitters found in both SDF and SDSS, we derive a Halpha luminosity function with best-fit Schechter function parameters of alpha = -1.31^+0.17_-0.17, log phi^* = -2.46^+0.34_-0.40 Mpc^-3, log L^* = 41.99^+0.08_-0.07 ergs s^-1. An extinction-corrected Halpha luminosity density is 4.45^+2.96_-1.75 x 10^39 ergs s^-1 Mpc^-3. Using the Kennicutt relation between the Halpha luminosity and star formation rate, the star formation rate density in the survey volume is estimated as 0.035^+0.024_-0.014 M_sun yr^-1 Mpc^-3. The angular two-point correlation function of Halpha emitters over 875 arcmin^2 at z = 0.24 is well fitted by a power-law form with w(theta) = 0.047^+0.017_-0.013 theta^-0.66 +- 0.08, corresponding to the correlation function of xi(r) = (r/2.6^+1.0_-0.8 Mpc)^(-1.66 +- 0.08). The small correlation length of Halpha emitters may imply the weak clustering of active star-forming galaxies.