Description
We studied Lyman-{alpha} (Ly{alpha}) escape in a statistical sample of 43 Green Peas with HST/COS Ly{alpha} spectra. Green Peas are nearby star-forming galaxies with strong [OIII]{lambda}5007 emission lines. Our sample is four times larger than the previous sample and covers a much more complete range of Green Pea properties. We found that about two-thirds of Green Peas are strong Ly{alpha} line emitters with rest-frame Ly{alpha} equivalent width >20{AA}. The Ly{alpha} profiles of Green Peas are diverse. The Ly{alpha} escape fraction, defined as the ratio of observed Ly{alpha} flux to intrinsic Ly{alpha} flux, shows anti-correlations with a few Ly{alpha} kinematic features-both the blue peak and red peak velocities, the peak separations, and the FWHM of the red portion of the Ly{alpha} profile. Using properties measured from Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical spectra, we found many correlations-the Ly{alpha} escape fraction generally increases at lower dust reddening, lower metallicity, lower stellar mass, and higher [OIII]/[OII] ratio. We fit their Ly{alpha} profiles with the HI shell radiative transfer model and found that the Ly{alpha} escape fraction is anti-correlated with the best-fit N_HI_. Finally, we fit an empirical linear relation to predict f_esc_^Ly{alpha}^ from the dust extinction and Ly{alpha} red peak velocity. The standard deviation of this relation is about 0.3dex. This relation can be used to isolate the effect of intergalactic medium (IGM) scatterings from Ly{alpha} escape and to probe the IGM optical depth along the line of sight of each z>7 Ly{alpha} emission-line galaxy in the James Webb Space Telescope era.
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