Lyman-break galaxies are star-forming galaxies at high redshift that are selecte

d using the differing appearance of the galaxy in several imaging filters due to
the position of the Lyman limit. The technique has primarily been used to selec
t galaxies at redshifts of z = 3 4 using ultraviolet and optical filters, but prog
ress in ultraviolet astronomy and in infrared astronomy has allowed the use of t
his technique at lower[1] and higher redshifts using ultraviolet and near-infrar
ed filters.
The Lyman-break galaxy selection technique relies on the fact that radiation at
higher energies than the Lyman limit at 912 is almost completely absorbed by neu
tral gas around star-forming regions of galaxies. In the rest frame of the emitt
ing galaxy, the emitted spectrum is bright at wavelengths longer than 912 , but v
ery dim or imperceptible at shorter wavelengths this is known as a "dropout", or "
break", and can be used to find the position of the Lyman limit. Light with a wa
velength shorter than 912 is in the far-ultraviolet range and is blocked by the
Earth's atmosphere, but for very distant galaxies the wavelengths of light are s
tretched considerably because of the expansion of the Universe. For a galaxy at
redshift z = 3, the Lyman break will appear to be at wavelengths of about 3600 ,
which is long enough to be detected by ground- or space-based telescopes.