Physical properties of two low-luminosity z ~ 1.9 galaxies behind the lensing cluster AC 114

Abstract

We present VLT/ISAAC near-infrared spectroscopy of two gravitationally-lensed z ~ 1.9 galaxies, A2 and S2, located behind the cluster AC 114. Thanks to large magnification factors, we have been successful in detecting rest-frame optical emission lines in star-forming galaxies 1 to 2 magnitudes fainter than in previous studies of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ~ 3. From the Ha luminosity, we estimate star formation rates (SFRs) which are 7 to 15 times higher than those inferred from the UV continuum flux at 1500 ang without dust extinction correction. The behavior of S2 and A2 in terms of O/H and N/O abundance ratios are very different, and they are also different from typical LBGs at z ~ 3. S2 is a low-metallicity object (Z ~ 0.03 Zsun) with a low N/O ratio, similar to those derived in the most metal-poor nearby HII galaxies. In contrast, A2 is a high-metallicity galaxy (Z ~ 1.3 Zsun) with a high N/O abundance ratio, similar to those derived in the most metal-rich starburst nucleus galaxies. The virial masses, derived from emission-line widths, are 0.5 and 2.4 x 10^10 Msun, for S2 and A2 respectively. Thanks to the gravitational amplification, the line profiles of S2 are spatially resolved, leading to a velocity gradient of +- 240 km/s, which yields a dynamical mass of ~ 1.3 x 10^10 Msun within the inner 1 kpc radius. Combining these new data with the sample of LBGs at z ~ 3, we conclude that these three galaxies exhibit different physical properties in terms of SFRs, abundance and mass-to-light ratios, and reddening. High-redshift galaxies of different luminosities could thus have quite different star formation histories (abridged version).