Extremely Red Objects in the Lockman Hole

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Issue Date
2004-05-21Author
Wilson, Graham Wallace
Huang, J. S.
Pérez-González, P. G.
Egami, E.
Ivison, R. J.
Rigby, J. R.
Alonso-Herrero, A.
Barmby, P.
Dole, H.
Fazio, G. G.
Le Floc'h, E.
Papovich, Casey J.
Rigaopoulou, D.
Bai, L.
Engelbracht, C. W.
Frayer, D. T.
Gordon, K. D.
Hines, D. C.
Misselt, K. A.
Miyazaki, S.
Morrison, J. E.
Rieke, G. H.
Rieke, M. J.
Surace, J.
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
We investigate extremely red objects (EROs) using near- and mid-infrared observations in five passbands (3.6 to 24 μm) obtained from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and deep ground-based R and K imaging. The great sensitivity of the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) camera allows us to detect 64 EROs (a surface density of 2.90 ± 0.36 arcmin-2; [3.6]AB < 23.7) in only 12 minutes of IRAC exposure time, by means of an R - [3.6] color cut (analogous to the traditional red R - K cut). A pure infrared K - [3.6] red cut detects a somewhat different population and may be more effective at selecting z > 1.3 EROs. We find ~17% of all galaxies detected by IRAC at 3.6 or 4.5 μm to be EROs. These percentages rise to about 40% at 5.8 μm, and about 60% at 8.0 μm. We utilize the spectral bump at 1.6 μm to divide the EROs into broad redshift slices using only near-infrared colors (2.2/3.6/4.5 μm). We conclude that two-thirds of all EROs lie at redshift z > 1.3. Detections at 24 μm imply that at least 11% of 0.6 < z < 1.3 EROs and at least 22% of z > 1.3 EROs are dusty star-forming galaxies.
Description
This is the published version, also available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/422716.
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Citation
G. Wilson et al. "Extremely Red Objects in the Lockman Hole." (2004) ApJS. 154. 107 http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/422716.
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