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Galaxies in the first billion years: implications for re-ionization and the star formation history at z>6

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

Andrew J. Bunker
Affiliation:
University of Exeter, School of Physics, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX44QL, UK email: bunker@astro.ex.ac.uk
Elizabeth R. Stanway
Affiliation:
Astronomy Dept., University of Wisconsin, 475 N. Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Laurence P. Eyles
Affiliation:
University of Exeter, School of Physics, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX44QL, UK email: bunker@astro.ex.ac.uk
Richard S. Ellis
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 169-327, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
Richard G. McMahon
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB30HA, UK
Mark Lacy
Affiliation:
Spitzer Science Center, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Daniel P. Stark
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 169-327, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
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Abstract

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We discuss the selection of star-forming galaxies at z≃6 through the Lyman-break technique. Spitzer imaging implies many of these contain older stellar populations (>200Myr) which produce detectable Balmer breaks. The ages and stellar masses (∼1010M) imply that the star formation rate density at earlier epochs may have been significantly higher than at z≃6, and might have played a key role in re-ionizing the universe.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

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