First Spectroscopic Evidence for High Ionization State and Low Oxygen Abundance in Lyα Emitters

Abstract

We present results from Keck/NIRSPEC and Magellan/MMIRS follow-up spectroscopy of Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2 identified in our Subaru narrowband survey. We successfully detect Hα emission from seven LAEs, and perform a detailed analysis of six LAEs free from active galactic nucleus activity, two out of which, CDFS-3865 and COSMOS-30679, have [O II] and [O III] line detections. They are the first [O II]-detected LAEs at high-z, and their [O III]/[O II] ratios and R23-indices provide the first simultaneous determinations of ionization parameter and oxygen abundance for LAEs. CDFS-3865 has a very high ionization parameter (q_{ion}=2.5^{+1.7}_{-0.8} \times 10^8 cm s^-1) and a low oxygen abundance (12+log (O/H)=7.84^{+0.24}_{-0.25}) in contrast with moderate values of other high-z galaxies such as Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). COSMOS-30679 also possesses a relatively high ionization parameter (q_{ion}=8^{+10}_{-4} \times 10^7 cm s^-1) and a low oxygen abundance (12+log (O/H)=8.18^{+0.28}_{-0.28}). Both LAEs appear to fall below the mass-metallicity relation of z ~ 2 LBGs. Similarly, a low metallicity of 12 + log (O/H) < 8.4 is independently indicated for typical LAEs from a composite spectrum and the [N II]/Hα index. Such high ionization parameters and low oxygen abundances can be found in local star-forming galaxies, but this extreme local population occupies only ~0.06% of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic galaxy sample with a number density ~100 times smaller than that of LAEs. With their high ionization parameters and low oxygen abundances, LAEs would represent an early stage of galaxy formation dominated by massive stars in compact star-forming regions. High-q _ion galaxies like LAEs would produce ionizing photons efficiently with a high escape fraction achieved by density-bounded H II regions, which would significantly contribute to cosmic reionization at z > 6.

Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.