@article{11523,
  abstract     = {We present the first results from the X-SHOOTER Lyman α survey at z = 2 (XLS-z2). XLS-z2 is a deep spectroscopic survey of 35 Lyman α emitters (LAEs) utilizing ≈90 h of exposure time with Very Large Telescope/X-SHOOTER and covers rest-frame Ly α to H α emission with R ≈ 4000. We present the sample selection, the observations, and the data reduction. Systemic redshifts are measured from rest-frame optical lines for 33/35 sources. In the stacked spectrum, our LAEs are characterized by an interstellar medium with little dust, a low metallicity, and a high ionization state. The ionizing sources are young hot stars that power strong emission lines in the optical and high-ionization lines in the ultraviolet (UV). The LAEs exhibit clumpy UV morphologies and have outflowing kinematics with blueshifted Si II absorption, a broad [O III] component, and a red-skewed Ly α line. Typically, 30 per cent of the Ly α photons escape, of which one quarter on the blue side of the systemic velocity. A fraction of Ly α photons escape directly at the systemic suggesting clear channels enabling an ≈10 per cent escape of ionizing photons, consistent with an inference based on Mg II. A combination of a low effective H I column density, a low dust content, and young starburst determines whether a star-forming galaxy is observed as an LAE. The first is possibly related to outflows and/or a fortunate viewing angle, while we find that the latter two in LAEs are typical for their stellar mass of 109 M⊙.},
  author       = {Matthee, Jorryt J and Sobral, David and Hayes, Matthew and Pezzulli, Gabriele and Gronke, Max and Schaerer, Daniel and Naidu, Rohan P and Röttgering, Huub and Calhau, João and Paulino-Afonso, Ana and Santos, Sérgio and Amorín, Ricardo},
  issn         = {1365-2966},
  journal      = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
  keywords     = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, galaxies: formation, galaxies: ISM, galaxies: starburst, dark ages, reionization, first stars},
  number       = {1},
  pages        = {1382--1412},
  publisher    = {Oxford University Press},
  title        = {{The X-SHOOTER Lyman α survey at z = 2 (XLS-z2) I: What makes a galaxy a Lyman α emitter?}},
  doi          = {10.1093/mnras/stab1304},
  volume       = {505},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{11557,
  abstract     = {Deep narrow-band surveys have revealed a large population of faint Ly α emitters (LAEs) in the distant Universe, but relatively little is known about the most luminous sources (⁠LLyα≳1042.7 erg s−1; LLyα≳L∗Lyα⁠). Here we present the spectroscopic follow-up of 21 luminous LAEs at z ∼ 2–3 found with panoramic narrow-band surveys over five independent extragalactic fields (≈4 × 106 Mpc3 surveyed at z ∼ 2.2 and z ∼ 3.1). We use WHT/ISIS, Keck/DEIMOS, and VLT/X-SHOOTER to study these sources using high ionization UV lines. Luminous LAEs at z ∼ 2–3 have blue UV slopes (⁠β=−2.0+0.3−0.1⁠) and high Ly α escape fractions (⁠50+20−15 per cent) and span five orders of magnitude in UV luminosity (MUV ≈ −19 to −24). Many (70 per cent) show at least one high ionization rest-frame UV line such as C IV, N V, C III], He II or O III], typically blue-shifted by ≈100–200 km s−1 relative to Ly α. Their Ly α profiles reveal a wide variety of shapes, including significant blue-shifted components and widths from 200 to 4000 km s−1. Overall, 60 ± 11  per cent appear to be active galactic nucleus (AGN) dominated, and at LLyα > 1043.3 erg s−1 and/or MUV < −21.5 virtually all LAEs are AGNs with high ionization parameters (log U = 0.6 ± 0.5) and with metallicities of ≈0.5 − 1 Z⊙. Those lacking signatures of AGNs (40 ± 11  per cent) have lower ionization parameters (⁠logU=−3.0+1.6−0.9 and log ξion = 25.4 ± 0.2) and are apparently metal-poor sources likely powered by young, dust-poor ‘maximal’ starbursts. Our results show that luminous LAEs at z ∼ 2–3 are a diverse population and that 2×L∗Lyα and 2×M∗UV mark a sharp transition in the nature of LAEs, from star formation dominated to AGN dominated.},
  author       = {Sobral, David and Matthee, Jorryt J and Darvish, Behnam and Smail, Ian and Best, Philip N and Alegre, Lara and Röttgering, Huub and Mobasher, Bahram and Paulino-Afonso, Ana and Stroe, Andra and Oteo, Iván},
  issn         = {1365-2966},
  journal      = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
  keywords     = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, galaxies: active, galaxies: evolution, galaxies: high-redshift, galaxies: ISM, galaxies: starburst, cosmology: observations},
  number       = {2},
  pages        = {2817--2840},
  publisher    = {Oxford University Press},
  title        = {{The nature of luminous Ly α emitters at z ∼ 2–3: Maximal dust-poor starbursts and highly ionizing AGN}},
  doi          = {10.1093/mnras/sty782},
  volume       = {477},
  year         = {2018},
}