Description
We present the second data release of the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C), an ESO 130-night public spectroscopic survey conducted with VIMOS on the Very Large Telescope. We release 1988 spectra with typical continuum S/N~20{AA}^-1^ of galaxies at 0.6<~z<~1.0, each observed for ~20hr and fully reduced with a custom-built pipeline. We also release a catalog with spectroscopic redshifts, emission-line fluxes, Lick/IDS indices, and observed stellar and gas velocity dispersions that are spatially integrated quantities, including both rotational motions and genuine dispersion. To illustrate the new parameter space in the intermediate-redshift regime probed by LEGA-C, we explore relationships between dynamical and stellar population properties. The star-forming galaxies typically have observed stellar velocity dispersions of ~150km/s and strong H{delta} absorption (H{delta}_A_~5{AA}), while passive galaxies have higher observed stellar velocity dispersions (~200km/s) and weak H{delta} absorption (H{delta}_A_~0{AA}). Strong [OIII]5007/H{beta} ratios tend to occur mostly for galaxies with weak H{delta}_A_ or galaxies with higher observed velocity dispersion. Beyond these broad trends, we find a diversity of possible combinations of rest-frame colors, absorption-line strengths, and emission-line detections, illustrating the utility of spectroscopic measurements to more accurately understand galaxy evolution.
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