Radio Galaxies at z = 1.1 to 3.8: Adaptive-Optics Imaging and Archival Hubble Space Telescope Data

We have undertaken a program of high-resolution imaging of high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) using adaptive optics on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We report on deep imaging in J, H,and K bands of 6 HzRGs in the redshift range 1.1 to 3.8. At these redshifts, near-infrared bandpasses sample...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2001-12
Main Authors: Steinbring, E, Crampton, D, Hutchings, J B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive optics
Hubble Space Telescope
Image resolution
Knots
Morphology
Radio galaxies
Red shift
Space telescopes
Star & galaxy formation
Stellar populations
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We have undertaken a program of high-resolution imaging of high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) using adaptive optics on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We report on deep imaging in J, H,and K bands of 6 HzRGs in the redshift range 1.1 to 3.8. At these redshifts, near-infrared bandpasses sample the rest-frame visible galaxian light. The radio galaxy is resolved in all the fields and is generally elongated along the axis of the radio lobes. These images are compared to archival Hubble Space Telescope Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 optical observations of the same fields and show the HzRG morphology in rest-frame ultraviolet and visible light is generally very similar: a string of bright compact knots. Furthermore, this sample - although very small - suggests the colors of the knots are consistent with light from young stellar populations. If true, a plausible explanation is that these objects are being assembled by mergers at high redshift.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.0112362