The Wyoming Survey for H-alpha. III. A Multi-wavelength Look at
  Attenuation by Dust in Galaxies out to z~0.4
  We report results from the Wyoming Survey for H-alpha (WySH), a comprehensive
four-square degree survey to probe the evolution of star-forming galaxies over
the latter half of the age of the Universe. We have supplemented the H-alpha
data from WySH with infrared data from the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared
Extragalactic (SWIRE) Survey and ultraviolet data from the Galaxy Evolution
Explorer (GALEX) Deep Imaging Survey. This dataset provides a multi-wavelength
look at the evolution of the attenuation by dust, and here we compare a
traditional measure of dust attenuation (L(TIR)/L(FUV)) to a diagnostic based
on a recently-developed robust star formation rate (SFR) indicator,
[H-alpha_obs+24-micron]/H-alpha_obs. With such data over multiple epochs, the
evolution in the attenuation by dust with redshift can be assessed. We present
results from the ELAIS-N1 and Lockman Hole regions at z~0.16, 0.24, 0.32 and
0.40. While the ensemble averages of both diagnostics are relatively constant
from epoch to epoch, each epoch individually exhibits a larger attenuation by
dust for higher star formation rates. Hence, an epoch to epoch comparison at a
fixed star formation rate suggests a mild decrease in dust attenuation with
redshift.
