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Central powering of the largest Lyman-α nebula is revealed by polarized radiation

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  • Matthew Hayes

    (Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse, France
    CNRS, IRAP, 14 avenue Edouard Belin, F-31400 Toulouse, France
    Observatory of Geneva, University of Geneva, 51 chemin des Maillettes, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland)

  • Claudia Scarlata

    (Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota
    Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 220-6, Pasadena, California 91125, USA)

  • Brian Siana

    (California Institute of Technology, MS 249-17, Pasadena, California 91125, USA)

Abstract

Polarized light from a 'Lyman-α blob' High-redshift Lyman-α (Ly-α) blobs are extended, luminous structures that seem to be associated with the highest peaks in the matter density of the Universe. The polarization of the Ly-α emission can, in principle, distinguish between the various options, but a previous attempt to detect this signature returned a null detection. Hayes et al. report observations of polarized Ly-α from the LAB1 nebula, the largest and most luminous of these objects. The central region of LAB1 shows no measurable polarization, but the polarized fraction increases to about 20% at a radius of 45 kiloparsecs. This suggests that the Ly-α photons must have been produced in the galaxies hosted within the nebula, and re-scattered by neutral hydrogen.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Hayes & Claudia Scarlata & Brian Siana, 2011. "Central powering of the largest Lyman-α nebula is revealed by polarized radiation," Nature, Nature, vol. 476(7360), pages 304-307, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:476:y:2011:i:7360:d:10.1038_nature10320
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10320
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