The Dwarf Starburst Host Galaxy of a Type Ia SN at z = 1.55 from CANDELS
  We present VLT/X-shooter observations of a high redshift, type Ia supernova
host galaxy, discovered with HST/WFC3 as part of the CANDELS Supernova project.
The galaxy exhibits strong emission lines of Ly{\alpha}, [O II], H{\beta}, [O
III], and H{\alpha} at z = 1.54992(+0.00008-0.00004). From the emission-line
fluxes and SED fitting of broad-band photometry we rule out AGN activity and
characterize the host galaxy as a young, low mass, metal poor, starburst galaxy
with low intrinsic extinction and high Ly{\alpha} escape fraction. The host
galaxy stands out in terms of the star formation, stellar mass, and metallicity
compared to its lower redshift counterparts, mainly because of its high
specific star-formation rate. If valid for a larger sample of high-redshift SN
Ia host galaxies, such changes in the host galaxy properties with redshift are
of interest because of the potential impact on the use of SN Ia as standard
candles in cosmology.
