An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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A galaxy belonging to an important population of low mass → star-forming galaxies at → redshift z > 2. Their number increases with redshift. A large fraction of the → dwarf starburst galaxies during the → reionization epoch may be intrinsic LAEs, but their Lyα photons can be scattered by the → neutral hydrogen (H I) in the → intergalactic medium (IGM), which makes Lyα line a powerful probe of reionization. These high-z LAEs have low → metallicity, low stellar masses, low dust → extinction, and compact sizes. The current best nearby analogs of high-z LAEs are → Green Pea galaxies (Yang et al, 2017, arxiv/1706.02819 and references therein).

→ Lyman alpha line; → emit; → -ing; → galaxy.

The appearance of many differentially → redshifted→ Lyman alpha lines in → absorption in a → quasar's → spectrum, caused by intervening → hydrogen clouds along our → line of sight to the quasar.

→ Lyman; → forest.

The spectral line in the → Lyman series which is associated with the → atomic transition between → energy levels n = 2 and n = 1. The corresponding wavelength is 1216 Å in the → far ultraviolet.

→ Lyman; → line.

A huge gaseous nebula (≥ 50 kpc) lying at high → redshifts (z ~ 2-6) and strongly emitting radiation due to the → Lyman alpha line (luminosities of  ≥ 10⁴³ erg s^-1) of hydrogen gas. Also called Lyman alpha blobs, they are thought to lie in massive (M ~ 10¹³ solar masses) → dark matter halos, which would subsequently evolve into those typical of rich → galactic clusters.

→ Lyman; → nebula.

A chain of nuclear fusion reactions by which three helium nuclei (→ alpha particles) are transformed into → carbon. First two nuclei of helium collide, fuse, and form a nucleus of → beryllium: ⁴He + ⁴He ↔ ⁸Be, which is unstable and will decay back into two helium nuclei within a few 10^-17 seconds. However, due to sufficiently high density and temperature in the stellar core, during a third collision between beryllium and helium, carbon is formed: ⁸Be + ⁴He → ¹²C + γ. The triple-alpha process is possible owing to the existence of the → Hoyle state. It is the main source of energy production in → red giants and → red supergiants in which the core temperature has reached at least 100 million K. Also called → Salpeter process.

→ triple; → alpha particle; → process.