Program: GS-2005B-Q-60

Title:Restframe optical emission-line maps of a new sample of confirmed high-z SCUBA galaxies
PI:Ian Smail
Co-I(s): Colin Borys, Scott Chapman, Rob Ivison, Andrew Blain, Mark Swinbank

Abstract

We propose to use the GNIRS IFU to map the emission-line structure of a sample of sub-mm selected galaxies from an unique catalog of spectroscopically-identified SCUBA galaxies at z~2. The proposed IFU observations will probe the dynamics and structural information allowing us to test the claims that far-IR luminous galaxies comprise merging systems which are likely to be the progneitors of local massive ellipticals, or whether instead they are simply high-luminosity episodes in the history of more mundane galaxies. Furthermore, by mapping the distribution of OIII, Hbeta and H-alpha emission we will provide crucial diagnostics to the physical mechanism generating their huge luminosities, testing whether AGN or starburst activity dominates their power-source, as well as the spatially resolved, reddening corrected star-formation rates.

Publications using this program's data