Abstract
We report results of a search for CIII $łambda$1907,1909 \AA
emission using Keck's MOSFIRE spectrograph in a sample of 7 $z_phot\sim7-8$
candidates ($H\sim27$) lensed by the Hubble Frontier Field cluster Abell 2744.
Earlier work has suggested the promise of using the CIII doublet for redshift
confirmation of galaxies in the reionization era given $Ly\alpha$
($łambda$1216 \AA) is likely attenuated by the neutral intergalactic medium.
The primary challenge of this approach is the feasibility of locating CIII
emission without advanced knowledge of the spectroscopic redshift. With an
integration time of 5 hours in the H-band, we reach a $5\sigma$ median flux
limit (in between the skylines) of $1.5\times10^-18$ ergs cm$^-2$
sec$^-1$ but no convincing CIII emission was found. We also incorporate
preliminary measurements from two other CLASH/HFF clusters in which, similarly,
no line was detected, but these were observed to lesser depth. Using the known
distribution of OH emission and the photometric redshift likelihood
distribution of each lensed candidate, we present statistical upper limits on
the mean total CIII rest-frame equivalent width for our $z\simeq7-8$ sample.
For a signal/noise ratio of 5, we estimate the typical CIII doublet rest-frame
equivalent width is, with 95\% confidence, $<26\pm5$ \AA. Although consistent
with the strength of earlier detections in brighter objects at $z\simeq6-7$,
our study illustrates the necessity of studying more luminous or
strongly-lensed examples prior to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.
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