Spectroscopic Study of the HST/ACS PEARS Emission-Line Galaxies

TL;DR

This study uses spectroscopy to analyze 76 emission-line galaxies from the PEARS survey, confirming redshifts and identifying 7 AGNs through multiple methods, enhancing understanding of galaxy properties and AGN detection.

Contribution

It provides a spectroscopic validation of PEARS redshifts and introduces multiple methods for AGN identification in emission-line galaxies.

Findings

ACS grism redshifts have an accuracy of σ_z=0.006

Seven AGNs and candidates identified using X-ray, line ratios, and high-ionization lines

Spectroscopy confirms and refines galaxy and AGN classifications

Abstract

We present spectroscopy of 76 emission-line galaxies (ELGs) in CDF-S taken with the LDSS3 spectrograph on Magellan Telescope. These galaxies are selected to have emission lines with ACS grism data in the Hubble Space Telescope Probing Evolution and Reionization Spectroscopically (PEARS) grism Survey. The ACS grism spectra cover the wavelength range 6000-9700 \AA\ and most PEARS grism redshifts are based on a single emission line + photometric redshifts from broad-band colors; the Magellan spectra cover a wavelength range from 4000 {\AA} to 9000 {\AA}, and provide a check on redshifts derived from PEARS data. We find an accuracy of $\sigma_z$ = 0.006 for the ACS grism redshifts with only one catastrophic outlier. We probe for AGN in our sample via several different methods. In total we find 7 AGNs and AGN candidates out of 76 galaxies. Two AGNs are identified from the X-ray full-band luminosity, $L_{X-ray,FB}>10^{43}$ erg$\;$s$^{-1}$, the line widths and the power-law continuum spectra. Two unobscured faint AGN candidates are identified from the X-ray full-band luminosity $L_{X-ray,FB}\sim10^{41}$ erg$\;$s$^{-1}$, the hardness ratio and the column density, and the emission-line and X-ray derived SFRs. Two candidates are classified based on the line ratio of [NII]\lambda6584/H$\alpha$ versus [OIII]$\lambda$5007/H$\beta$ (BPT diagram), which are between the empirical and theoretical demarcation curves, i.e, the transition region from star-forming galaxies to AGNs. One AGN candidate is identified from the high-ionization emission line HeII{\AA}4686.