Journal
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Volume 430, Issue 4, Pages 2885-2890Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stt096
Keywords
galaxies: evolution; galaxies: formation; galaxies: high-redshift; galaxies: starburst; ultraviolet: galaxies
Categories
Funding
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- Institute of Physics/Nuffield Foundation
- Leverhulme Trust
- National Science Foundation (NSF) [OCI-0749212, AST-1009781]
- Division Of Astronomical Sciences
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [1009781] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC)
- Direct For Computer & Info Scie & Enginr [0749212, GRANTS:13762623] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Science and Technology Facilities Council [ST/G001774/1, ST/K00106X/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- STFC [ST/K00106X/1, ST/G001774/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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The observed UV continuum slope of star-forming galaxies is strongly affected by the presence of dust. Its observation is then a potentially valuable diagnostic of dust attenuation, particularly at high redshift where other diagnostics are currently inaccessible. Interpreting the observed UV continuum slope in the context of dust attenuation is often achieved assuming the empirically calibrated Meurer et al. relation. Implicit in this relation is the assumption of an intrinsic UV continuum slope (beta = -2.23). However, results from numerical simulations suggest that the intrinsic UV continuum slopes of high-redshift star-forming galaxies are bluer than this, and moreover vary with redshift. Using values of the intrinsic slope predicted by numerical models of galaxy formation combined with a Calzetti et al. reddening law we infer UV attenuations (A(1500)) 0.35-0.5 mag (A(V): 0.14 - 0.2 mag assuming Calzetti et al. reddening law) greater than simply assuming the Meurer relation. This has significant implications for the inferred amount of dust attenuation at very high (z approximate to 7) redshift given current observational constraints on beta, combined with the Meurer relation, suggesting dust attenuation to be virtually zero in all but the most luminous systems.
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