SPATIALLY RESOLVED EMISSION OF A HIGH-REDSHIFT DLA GALAXY WITH THE KECK/OSIRIS IFU

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 785; no. 1; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Jorgenson, Regina A, Wolfe, Arthur M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 10.04.2014
• Subjects: ABSORPTION; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; COSMOLOGY; DENSITY; EMISSION; Flux; GALAXIES; Infrared; INFRARED RADIATION; Line of sight; LYMAN LINES; MASS; METALLICITY; QUASARS; RED SHIFT; Rotational; SPECTRA; STARS; SURFACES; VELOCITY
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/785/1/16

We present the first Keck/OSIRIS infrared IFU observations of a high-redshift damped Ly alpha (DLA) galaxy detected in the line of sight to a background quasar. We present maps of the H alpha and [OIII] [lambda][lambda]5007, 4959 emission of DLA 2222-0946 at a redshift of z ~ 2.35. From the composite spectrum over the H alpha emission region, we measure a star formation rate of 9.5 + or - 1.0 M sub([odot]) yr super(-1) and a dynamical mass of M sub(dyn) = 6.1 x 10 super(9) M sub([odot]). The average star formation rate surface density is < capital sigma sub(SFR)> = 0.55 M sub([odot]) yr super(-1) kpc super(-2), with a central peak of 1.7 M sub([odot]) yr super(-1) kpc super(-2). Using the standard Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, this corresponds to a gas mass surface density of capital sigma sub(gas) = 243 M sub([odot]) pc super(-2). We detect [NII] [lambda]6583 emission at 3[sigma] significance with a flux corresponding to a metallicity of 75% solar. While we detect some red and blueshifted clumps of emission, they do not correspond with rotational signatures that support an edge-on disk interpretation.