Recently, in Lambert et al. (2024, A&A, accepted, arXiv:2402.06870), we carried out the largest area, narrow-band survey of Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) galaxies in the environment of a quasar, VIK J2348-3054 at z=6.7, in the epoch of reionization using the Dark Energy Camera at the CTIO 4-m Blanco Telescope. We found that, overall, there are about 10 times more LAEs than expected for an average region of the Universe, consistent with the expectation of luminous high-redshift quasars residing in the densest regions of the Universe. Unexpectedly, however, we found that close to the quasar (within about 5Mpc), there are no LAEs, suggesting the quasar is inhibiting star-formation in the smaller galaxies around it.
This project has two parts. The first consists of spectroscopic confirmation of the LAEs, to refine the assessment of the overdensity
level. Spectroscopic observations with GMOS at Gemini South and LDSS3 at the Magellan Clay Telescope are ongoing through 2024B. The second part consists of mapping the same field in Y-band to identify the more massive Lyman Break galaxies in the environment, whose radial pattern will yield new insights into the action of the quasar on its immediate environment.
Type of project: Research – actively recruiting new young researchers
Status: Ongoing
Investigadores Roberto Assef, Manuel Aravena
Funding source: CATA2