Lyman-alpha emission has long been predicted as a signpost of primitive galaxies in formation. This project will characterize the nature and evolution of Lyman-alpha galaxies by: (1) determining the mass and ages of the stellar populations in these galaxies by narrow-band imaging; (2) using the results of the largest area Lyman-alpha search to date to determine the halo occupation distribution of galaxies and the duty cycle of Lyman-alpha emission; (3) determining the evolution in properties of Lyman-alpha galaxies as a function of redshift; (4) determining the epoch, pace and inhomogeneity of reionization; and (5) using near-infrared surveys to obtain Lyman-alpha galaxy constraints on the IGM neutral fraction at redshifts 7.7 and 8.8. These surveys complement results from the Gunn-Peterson test and the microwave background polarization measurements, and are expected to discover some eighty galaxies.
The anticipated discovery of the 'most distant galaxy', or even a whole population of them, could generate significant publicity. Results will be included in courses at ASU, which is committed to encouraging under-represented groups in science, especially Native American and Hispanic students. Filters provided for this study will be available to the whole community, as will the reduced data and any improvements added to the data processing pipeline. This will benefit a whole community of users.
