SHARDS: Constraints on the dust attenuation law of star-forming galaxies
  at z~2
  We make use of SHARDS, an ultra-deep (<26.5AB) galaxy survey that provides
optical photo-spectra at resolution R~50, via medium band filters (FWHM~150A).
This dataset is combined with ancillary optical and NIR fluxes to constrain the
dust attenuation law in the rest-frame NUV region of star-forming galaxies
within the redshift window 1.5<z<3. We focus on the NUV bump strength (B) and
the total-to-selective extinction ratio (Rv), targeting a sample of 1,753
galaxies. By comparing the data with a set of population synthesis models
coupled to a parametric dust attenuation law, we constrain Rv and B, as well as
the colour excess, E(B-V). We find a correlation between Rv and B, that can be
interpreted either as a result of the grain size distribution, or a variation
of the dust geometry among galaxies. According to the former, small dust grains
are associated with a stronger NUV bump. The latter would lead to a range of
clumpiness in the distribution of dust within the interstellar medium of
star-forming galaxies. The observed wide range of NUV bump strengths can lead
to a systematic in the interpretation of the UV slope ($\beta$) typically used
to characterize the dust content. In this study we quantify these variations,
concluding that the effects are $\Delta\beta$~0.4.
