The Far-Ultraviolet Extragalactic Legacy (FUEL) Survey: Hubble Far-UV Images and Catalogs of the Extragalactic Legacy Fields

TL;DR

This paper presents high-resolution far-ultraviolet images and catalogs from Hubble for three extragalactic fields, enabling new studies of star formation, dust, and Lyman continuum emission across a key redshift range.

Contribution

It provides the first high-resolution FUV imaging data for these fields, including a new model for the dark glow and comprehensive catalogs linked to existing surveys.

Findings

Detected 1068 galaxies in FUV images

Redshift distribution peaks at z ~ 0.6

Fills the redshift gap for high-res FUV imaging

Abstract

We present far-ultraviolet (FUV) images and catalogs from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel (ACS/SBC) F150LP (about 1600 Angstrom) of three extragalactic fields: GOODS-S, GOODS-N, and COSMOS. The data comprise 365 orbits of high-resolution imaging of 151 pointings covering an area of 44.7 square arcmin to typical depths of FUV about 28.7 AB (3-sigma, 0.5 arcsec diameter aperture). We provide a new model of the spatially varying dark "glow" created from all 365 orbits of data, and scale and subtract it from all pointings. We provide drizzled image mosaics, weight maps, and exposure time maps matched in coordinates and pixel scale to the Hubble Legacy Fields (HLF) frame, and the original COSMOS tiles. Galaxy photometry is measured within isophotes defined with existing deep Hubble F606W or F814W optical filters. We detect 1068 galaxies and provide catalogs of all optical detections, including matched IDs to existing 3D-HST and CANDELS catalogs. The redshift distribution of FUV-detected galaxies peaks at z about 0.6 and declines to z = 1.2, where the Lyman limit shifts redward of any filter transmission. These data fill the redshift gap of high-resolution far-UV imaging between z about 0 and z > 1, enabling studies of star-forming regions, dust properties, the FUV extragalactic background, and Lyman continuum emission from galaxies at z > 1.2.