Unearthing a Treasure Trove of Ultraviolet Galaxy Spectra
We propose an archival study of a set of COS M-mode spectra of star-forming galaxies whose quality vastly supsersedes that of previously obtained data with FOS, GHRS, and STIS. The originally proposed science focused on the interstellar lines, requiring high S/N and spectral resolution. Our project addresses the stellar population as observed in the UV lines of, e.g., N V, Si IV, and C IV. The data set enables new discovery space by allowing us to study the behavior of weak stellar features at low metallicity and the bias introduced by the blending of interstellar and stellar-wind lines. We will create a set of galaxy templates for comparison with star-forming galaxies at low and high redshift. Comparison with population synthesis models will provide constraints on ages, IMF and metallicities and a first calibration of new stellar evolution models accounting for the rotation of massive stars.
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