The Rest-Frame Optical Spectrum of MS 1512-cB58.
Moderate-resolution, near-IR spectroscopy of MS 1512-cB58 is presented, obtained during commissioning of the near-infrared spectrometer (NIRSPEC) on the Keck II telescope. The strong lensing of this z=2.72 galaxy by the foreground cluster MS 1512+36 makes it the best candidate for detailed study of the rest-frame optical properties of Lyman-break galaxies. In 80 minutes of on-source integration, we have detected Halpha, [N ii] lambdalambda6583, 6548, [O i] lambda6300, He i lambda5876, [O iii] lambdalambda5007, 4959, Hbeta, Hgamma, [O ii] lambda3727, and a strong continuum signal in the range of 1.29-2.46 µm. A redshift of z=2.7290+/-0.0007 is inferred from the emission lines, in contrast to the z=2.7233 calculated from UV observations of interstellar absorption lines. Using the Balmer line ratios, we find an extinction of E(B-V) = 0.27. Using the line strengths, we infer a star formation rate (SFR) of 620+/-18 M middle dot in circle yr-1 (H0=75, q0=0.1, and Lambda=0), which is a factor of 2 higher than that measured from narrowband imaging observations of the galaxy but is a factor of almost 4 lower than the SFR inferred from the UV continuum luminosity. The width of the Balmer lines yields a mass of Mvir=1.2x1010 M middle dot in circle. We find that the oxygen abundance is 13 solar, in good agreement with other estimates of the metallicity. However, we infer a high nitrogen abundance, which may argue for the presence of an older stellar population.
Teplitz
HI
McLean
IS
Becklin
EE
Figer
DF
Gilbert
AM
Graham
JR
Larkin
JE
Levenson
NA
Wilcox
MK