NOAO >   Observing Info >   Approved Programs >   2012A-0353

# Proposal Information for 2012A-0353

PI: Arjun Dey, NOAO, dey@noao.edu
Address: 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA

CoI: Moire Prescott, University of California at Santa Barbara
CoI: Sungryong Hong, NOAO

Title: Mapping the Cosmic Web at z~2.7

Abstract: Giant \lya nebulae (or \lya blobs'), >100 kpc clouds of gas which are sites of ongoing massive galaxy formation in the distant universe, are signposts of large-scale matter overdensities. We have imaged a 1 deg^2 (~ 100\times100 comoving Mpc^2) region around a z~ 2.7 \lya blob and uncovered 2200 \lya-emitting galaxies (LAEs) and two more blobs'. The LAEs suggest a complex filamentary structure, but the nature of the overdensities seen in the two-dimensional map is uncertain given the unknown redshifts ((delta) z ~ +/- 0.1 from the imaging) and the contamination by lower-redshift interlopers. We now propose to map this extraordinary region in three dimensions, by obtaining spectroscopic redshifts for ~1000 LAEs within this field. In addition to providing unique constraints on the large scale matter distribution, our study will also result in the largest spectroscopically confirmed \lya-emitting galaxy sample to date, which will allow us to measure the LAE luminosity function; study the variation, if any, of LAE properties with environment; place the blobs within the 3D matter distribution; and constrain any large scale velocity shear across these ~50 Mpc structures.

National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360

 NOAO >   Observing Info >   Approved Programs >   2012A-0353