The Case for an Abundant Population of Feeble Lyman-alpha Emitting Galaxies at z>8
Résumé
I will present new observational constraints on the abundance of z>8; Lyman-alpha emitters secured from a deep Keck near-infrared spectroscopic survey utilizing the strong magnification provided by lensing galaxy clusters. The survey has yielded six promising candidate Lyman-alpha emitters which appear to lie between z=8.7 and z=10.2. I will describe detailed follow-up exposures made to secure the high-redshift interpretation, as well as further tests that may be practical with upcoming instrumentation. Based upon our current knowledge of these sources, I will discuss their possible contribution to the reionization of neutral hydrogen.