Lunch talk on Apr. 21, 2025

Hunting for Lyman continuum galaxies and their physical properties

Speaker: Yuchen Liu (KIAA-PKU)

Venue: SWIFAR Building 2111

Time: 12:45 PM, Monday, Apr. 21, 2025

Abstract: 

The Lyman continuum (LyC) photons are important ionizing radiation that can ionize the neutral hydrogen during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Identifying LyC leakers at intermediate redshifts is crucial for understanding the properties of cosmic reionizers, as the opacity of the intergalactic medium (IGM) prevents direct detection of LyC emission from sources during the EoR. This talk will first present the discovery of new LyC leakers at z~2-3 identified using deep UV images. These LyC leakers appear faint, exhibit blue UV continuum slopes, and have low masses. Combining the spectroscopic and imaging observations, we also explore the possible indirect indicators (like Lyman alpha, O32 ratio, and UV slope, etc) and find clues between these properties and the LyC escaping. Then, we also compare the high redshift LyC leakers with low redshift counterparts to understand the similarities and differences of the LyC escape mechanisms across cosmic time.