Abstract
The properties of the galaxies selected by the presence of metal-line absorption systems in the spectra of background QSOs are reviewed. We first describe the properties of these galaxies at redshifts where they can be compared to galaxies selected by other means; selection of galaxies by gas cross section picks out a population of relatively bright galaxies which has not evolved dramatically in either number or luminosity since z ~ 1. These are probably the predecessors of present—day normal field galaxies. Intrinsically faint galaxies or low surface brightness objects appear to contribute little to the total gas cross section (as defined by gas which is just optically thick in the H I Lyman continuum), as essentially no galaxies fainter than ~ 1.5 magnitudes below L * are identified as QSO absorbers. The implications for the evolution of normal galaxies are discussed. Absorption-line selection is possibly the most powerful criterion for isolating examples of very high-redshift (z ≫ 1) galaxies. We review the status of searches for galaxies associated with QSO absorption systems with z ≳ 2.
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Steidel, C.C. (1993). The Properties of Absorption-Line Selected High-Redshift Galaxies. In: Shull, J.M., Thronson, H.A. (eds) The Environment and Evolution of Galaxies. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 188. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1882-8_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1882-8_16
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