The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey: IV. Global properties of C III] emitters

TL;DR

This study presents a statistical analysis of 17 C III]-emitting galaxies at redshifts 1.5 to 4, demonstrating their properties, correlations with optical lines, and potential as redshift indicators in early universe galaxy studies.

Contribution

The paper provides the first statistical sample of C III] emitters at intermediate redshifts, linking ultraviolet and optical emission lines, and assessing their physical properties and utility for redshift confirmation.

Findings

C III] emitters constitute about 3% of galaxies at 1.5 < z < 4.

Strong correlation between C III] emission and [O III] 5007 in extreme emission line galaxies.

C III] detection is linked to high [O III] equivalent widths, indicating young, vigorous star-forming galaxies.

Abstract

The C III] 1907,1909 emission doublet has been proposed as an alternative to Lyman-alpha in redshift confirmations of galaxies at z > 6 since it is not attenuated by the largely neutral intergalactic medium at these redshifts and is believed to be strong in the young, vigorously star-forming galaxies present at these early cosmic times. We present a statistical sample of 17 C III]-emitting galaxies beyond z~1.5 using 30 hour deep VLT/MUSE integral field spectroscopy covering 2 square arcminutes in the Hubble Deep Field South (HDFS) and Ultra Deep Field (UDF), achieving C III] sensitivities of ~2e-17 erg/s/cm^2 in the HDFS and ~7e-18 erg/s/cm^2 in the UDF. The rest-frame equivalent widths range from 2 to 19 Angstroms. These 17 galaxies represent ~3% of the total sample of galaxies found between 1.5 < z < 4. They also show elevated star formation rates, lower dust attenuation, and younger mass-weighted ages than the general population of galaxies at the same redshifts. Combined with deep slitless grism spectroscopy from the HST/WFC3 in the UDF, we can tie the rest-frame ultraviolet C III] emission to rest-frame optical emission lines, namely [O III] 5007, finding a strong correlation between the two. Down to the flux limits that we observe (~1e-18 erg/s/cm^2 with the grism data in the UDF), all objects with a rest-frame [O III] 4959,5007 equivalent width in excess of 250 Angstroms, the so-called Extreme Emission Line Galaxies, have detections of C III] in our MUSE data. More detailed studies of the C III]-emitting population at these intermediate redshifts will be crucial to understand the physical conditions in galaxies at early cosmic times and to determine the utility of C III] as a redshift tracer.