The Kinematics of Morphologically Selected z ∼ 2 Galaxies in the GOODS‐North Field

Abstract

We present near-IR spectra of Hα emission from 13 galaxies at z~2 in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North (GOODS-N) field. The galaxies were selected primarily because they appear to have elongated morphologies, and slits were aligned with the major axes (as determined from the rest-frame UV emission) of 11 of the 13. If the galaxies are elongated because they are highly inclined, alignment of the slit and major axis should maximize the observed velocity and reveal velocity shear, if present. In spite of this alignment, we see spatially resolved velocity shear in only two galaxies. We show that the seeing makes a large difference in the observed velocity spread of a tilted emission line, and use this information to place limits on the velocity spread of the ionized gas of the galaxies in the sample: we find that all 13 have v0.5