2D KINEMATICS AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF z ∼ 3 STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

We present results from a study of the kinematic structure of star-forming galaxies at redshift z ∼ 3 selected in the VVDS, using integral-field spectroscopy of rest-frame optical nebular emission lines, in combination with rest-frame UV spectroscopy, ground-based optical/near-IR and Spitzer photometry. We also constrain the under-lying stellar populations to address the evolutionary status of these galaxies. We infer the kinematic properties of four galaxies: VVDS-20298666, VVDS-020297772, VVDS-20463884 and VVDS-20335183 with redshifts z = 3.2917, 3.2878, 3.2776, and 3.7062, respectively. While VVDS-20463884 presents an irregular velocity field with a peak in the local velocity dispersion of the galaxy shifted from the centre of the galaxy, VVDS-20298666 has a well-resolved gradient in velocity over a distance of ∼4.5 kpc with a peak-to-peak amplitude of v =91 km s−1. We discovered that the nearby galaxy, VVDS-020297772 (which shows traces of AGN activity), is in fact a companion at a similar redshift with a projected separated of 12 kpc. In contrast, the velocity field of VVDS-020335183 seems more consistent with a merger on a rotating disk. However, all of the objects have a high local velocity dispersion (σ ∼ 60-70 km s−1), which gives v/σ < ∼ 1. It is unlikely that these galaxies are dynamically cold rotating disk of ionized gas