Local lyman α emitters and their relevance to high redshift ones

Abstract

The Lyα line is an important diagnostic of star formation and activity in galaxies. The analysis of Lyα is complicated due to the resonant nature of the line and radiative transfer effects. High spectral resolution studies of local starburst galaxies with the unprecedented UV capabilities of the HST have shown that this line is either seen in absorption or in emission and in the latter case with a P Cygni profile indicative of a large scale outflow of neutral gas. Moreover, HST imaging obtained with the ACS has revealed that a substantial fraction of the Lyα photons are diffused far away from the emissive knots. Since the importance of Lyα for tracing large scale structure, correlation functions, and galaxy formation is recognized, Lyα will remain a very important probe of the distant universe for the foreseeable future.