UV to IR luminosities and dust attenuation determined from ∼4000 K-selected galaxies at 1 < z < 3 in the ZFOURGE survey

Ben Forrest, Kim Vy H Tran, Adam R. Tomczak, Adam Broussard, Ivo Labbé, Casey Papovich, Mariska Kriek, Rebecca J. Allen, Michael Cowley, Mark Dickinson, Karl Glazebrook, Josha Van Houdt, Hanae Inami, Glenn G. Kacprzak, Lalitwadee Kawinwanichakij, Daniel Kelson, Patrick J. McCarthy, Andrew Monson, Glenn Morrison, Themiya NanayakkaraS. Eric Persson, Ryan F. Quadri, Lee R. Spitler, Caroline Straatman, Vithal Tilvi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We build a set of composite galaxy spectral energy distributions (SEDs) by de-redshifting and scaling multi-wavelength photometry from galaxies in the ZFOURGE survey, covering the CDFS, COSMOS, and UDS fields. From a sample of ∼4000 Ks-band selected galaxies, we define 38 composite galaxy SEDs that yield continuous low-resolution spectra (R ∼ 45) over the rest-frame range 0.1-4 μm. Additionally, we include far infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory to characterize the infrared properties of our diverse set of composite SEDs. From these composite SEDs we analyze the rest-frame UVJ colors, as well as the ratio of IR to UV light (IRX) and the UV slope (β) in the IRX-β dust relation at 1 < z < 3. Blue star-forming composite SEDs show IRX and β values consistent with local relations; dusty star-forming galaxies have considerable scatter, as found for local IR bright sources, but on average appear bluer than expected for their IR fluxes. We measure a tight linear relation between rest-frame UVJ colors and dust attenuation for star-forming composites, providing a direct method for estimating dust content from either (U - V) or rest-frame colors for star-forming galaxies at intermediate redshifts.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberL26
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume818
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Feb 2016

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