Estimates of the total metal production rate (\dot{\rho}_Z) and star formation rate at z > 2 are based on Lyman break systems observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV). These observations are very sensitive to dust obscuration. Here I elucidate and refine the Meurer et al. (1997) method for calculating UV obscuration, presenting new relationships which accurately model the dust reprocessing of radiation in local starbursts. The median lambda = 1600 Angstroms obscuration factor is ~10 at z ~ 3 which is shown to be consistent with other constraints on the high-z \dot{\rho}_Z. Two tests are proposed to further constrain \dot{\rho}_Z at these redshifts.
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9708163,
title = {The Case For Substantial Dust Extinction At z ~ 3},
author = {Gerhardt R. Meurer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9708163},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
4 pages Latex (paspconf.sty,psfig.sty), 2 encapsulated postscript figures. To appear in "The Hubble Deep Field, Posters Presented At The STScI Symposium, May 1997", eds. M. Livio, S.M. Fall, and P. Madau