Composite Spectra of Lyman-alpha Emitting Galaxies from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment
Open Access
Author:
Mc Carron, Adam
Area of Honors:
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Robin Bruce Ciardullo, Thesis Supervisor Jane Camilla Charlton, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
astronomy astrophysics extragalactic lyman-alpha dark energy LAE
Abstract:
The ability to translate the wavelength of a Lyman-alpha emission line detection into a redshift that can be used for cosmological calculations serves as a vital step in achieving HETDEX science goals. In this analysis, I use a composite spectrum of ~10,000 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) in a redshift range of 1.9<z<3.5 to attempt to measure a systematic offset of the Lyman-alpha emission line from interstellar absorption lines. This offset would affect the redshift estimates from detections of single emission lines and improve the accuracy of calculations of cosmological parameters. The presence of [OII]λ3727 emitting galaxies in the sample prevented the weak LAE features from appearing convincingly in the composite spectra, but improvements being made to the HETDEX detection algorithm and interloper discrimination will allow the measurement to be made in the near future using the analysis presented in this thesis.
