The Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C) Data Release 3 : 3000 High-quality Spectra of K s-selected Galaxies at z > 0.6

Van Der Wel, A. and Bezanson, R. and D'Eugenio, F. and Straatman, C. and Franx, M. and Van Houdt, J. and Maseda, M.V. and Gallazzi, A. and Wu, P.-F. and Pacifici, C. and Barisic, I. and Brammer, G.B. and Munoz-Mateos, J.C. and Vervalcke, S. and Zibetti, S. and Sobral, D. and De Graaff, A. and Calhau, J. and Kaushal, Y. and Muzzin, A. and Bell, E.F. and Van Dokkum, P.G. (2021) The Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C) Data Release 3 : 3000 High-quality Spectra of K s-selected Galaxies at z > 0.6. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 256 (2): 44. ISSN 0067-0049

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Abstract

We present the third and final data release of the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C), an ESO/Very Large Telescope public spectroscopic survey targeting 0.6 <z <1.0, Ks -selected galaxies. The data release contains 3528 spectra with measured stellar velocity dispersions and stellar population properties, a 25-fold increase in sample size compared to previous work. This K s -selected sample probes the galaxy population down to ~0.3L*, for all colors and morphological types. Along with the spectra, we publish a value-added catalog with stellar and ionized gas velocity dispersions, stellar absorption line indices, emission-line fluxes, and equivalent widths, complemented with structural parameters measured from Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging. With its combination of high precision and large sample size, LEGA-C provides a new benchmark for galaxy evolution studies.