A Cosmologically Significant Population of Galaxies Dominated by Very Young Star Formation
Abstract
A population of galaxies whose light is dominated at all wavelengths from B to K by a very young stellar population has been found in an extremely deep optical and IR small-field survey. These galaxies must represent one of the main star-forming epochs in the history of the universe and approximately 10%-100% of the metals must have formed in them. They must have a redshift z < 3.5 and may constitute either a genuine protogalaxy population or a rejuvenation phase of galaxies that formed earlier. The faint I band star counts in the field eliminate the possibility that the Galactic dark halo may be composed of hydrogen-burning main-sequence stars.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 1988
- DOI:
- 10.1086/185259
- Bibcode:
- 1988ApJ...332L..29C
- Keywords:
-
- Early Stars;
- Galactic Evolution;
- Star Formation;
- Universe;
- Hubble Constant;
- Infrared Astronomy;
- Red Shift;
- Spectral Energy Distribution;
- Astrophysics;
- GALAXIES: FORMATION;
- STARS: FORMATION