Rest‐Frame Ultraviolet Spectra of \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $z\sim 3$ \end{document} Lyman Break Galaxies

We present the results of a systematic study of the rest-frame UV spectroscopic properties of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). The database of almost 1000 LBG spectra proves useful for constructing high signal-to-noise composite spectra. The composite spectrum of the entire sample reveals a wealth of features attributable to hot stars, H II regions, dust, and outflowing neutral and ionized gas. By grouping the database according to galaxy parameters such as Lyα equivalent width, UV spectral slope, and interstellar kinematics, we isolate some of the major trends in LBG spectra that are least compromised by selection effects. We find that LBGs with stronger Lyα emission have bluer UV continua, weaker low-ionization…