The Compared Number Density of High-Redshift Galaxies and Lyman αClouds

Abstract

We use our catalog of photometric redshifts in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) to estimate the Luminosity Function (LF) of galaxies up to z=2. Using the obtained LF and a relationship between luminosity and halo size, we calculate the expected density of galactic halo crossings for any arbitrary line of sight. This density is then compared with the known one of Lyman αlines, showing that the observed density of galaxies is enough to account for the observed absorption lines.

2 pages, 2 PS figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the XIII IAP Colloquium