149 research outputs found
ALMA Observations of SPT-discovered, Strongly Lensed, Dusty, Star-forming Galaxies
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 860 μm imaging of four high-redshift (z = 2.8-5.7) dusty sources that were detected using the South Pole Telescope (SPT) at 1.4 mm and are not seen in existing radio to far-infrared catalogs. At 1."5 resolution, the ALMA data reveal multiple images of each submillimeter source, separated by 1"-3", consistent with strong lensing by intervening galaxies visible in near-IR imaging of these sources. We describe a gravitational lens modeling procedure that operates on the measured visibilities and incorporates self-calibration-like antenna phase corrections as part of the model optimization, which we use to interpret the source structure. Lens models indicate that SPT0346-52, located at z = 5.7, is one of the most luminous and intensely star-forming sources in the universe with a lensing corrected FIR luminosity of 3.7 × 10^(13) L_☉ and star formation surface density of 4200 M_☉ yr^(–1) kpc^(–2). We find magnification factors of 5 to 22, with lens Einstein radii of 1."1-2."0 and Einstein enclosed masses of 1.6-7.2 × 10^(11) M_☉. These observations confirm the lensing origin of these objects, allow us to measure their intrinsic sizes and luminosities, and demonstrate the important role that ALMA will play in the interpretation of lensed submillimeter sources
ALMA observations of atomic carbon in z~4 dusty star-forming galaxies
We present ALMA [CI]() (rest frequency 492 GHz) observations for a
sample of 13 strongly-lensed dusty star-forming galaxies originally discovered
at 1.4mm in a blank-field survey by the South Pole Telescope. We compare these
new data with available [CI] observations from the literature, allowing a study
of the ISM properties of extreme dusty star-forming galaxies spanning
a redshift range . Using the [CI] line as a tracer of the molecular
ISM, we find a mean molecular gas mass for SPT-DSFGs of
M. This is in tension with gas masses derived via low- CO
and dust masses; bringing the estimates into accordance requires either (a) an
elevated CO-to-H conversion factor for our sample of and a gas-to-dust ratio , or (b) an high carbon abundance . Using observations of a range of additional atomic
and molecular lines (including [CI], [CII], and multiple transitions of CO), we
use a modern Photodissociation Region code (3D-PDR) to assess the physical
conditions (including the density, UV radiation field strength, and gas
temperature) within the ISM of the DSFGs in our sample. We find that the ISM
within our DSFGs is characterised by dense gas permeated by strong UV fields.
We note that previous efforts to characterise PDR regions in DSFGs may have
significantly underestimated the density of the ISM. Combined, our analysis
suggests that the ISM of extreme dusty starbursts at high redshift consists of
dense, carbon-rich gas not directly comparable to the ISM of starbursts in the
local Universe.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Sub-kiloparsec Imaging of Cool Molecular Gas in Two Strongly Lensed Dusty, Star-Forming Galaxies
We present spatially-resolved imaging obtained with the Australia Telescope
Compact Array (ATCA) of three CO lines in two high-redshift gravitationally
lensed dusty star-forming galaxies, discovered by the South Pole Telescope.
Strong lensing allows us to probe the structure and dynamics of the molecular
gas in these two objects, at z=2.78 and z=5.66, with effective source-plane
resolution of less than 1kpc. We model the lensed emission from multiple CO
transitions and the dust continuum in a consistent manner, finding that the
cold molecular gas as traced by low-J CO always has a larger half-light radius
than the 870um dust continuum emission. This size difference leads to up to 50%
differences in the magnification factor for the cold gas compared to dust. In
the z=2.78 galaxy, these CO observations confirm that the background source is
undergoing a major merger, while the velocity field of the other source is more
complex. We use the ATCA CO observations and comparable resolution Atacama
Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array dust continuum imaging of the same objects
to constrain the CO-H_2 conversion factor with three different procedures,
finding good agreement between the methods and values consistent with those
found for rapidly star-forming systems. We discuss these galaxies in the
context of the star formation - gas mass surface density relation, noting that
the change in emitting area with observed CO transition must be accounted for
when comparing high-redshift galaxies to their lower redshift counterparts.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
SPT0346-52: Negligible AGN Activity in a Compact, Hyper-starburst Galaxy at z = 5.7
We present Chandra ACIS-S and ATCA radio continuum observations of the
strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter
SPT0346-52) at = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST,
Spitzer, Herschel, APEX, and the VLT. Previous observations indicate that if
the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred
lensing-corrected star formation rate ( 4500 M_{\sun} yr) and
star formation rate surface density ( 2000 M_{\sun}
{yr^{-1}} {kpc^{-2}}) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear from
the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN)
contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The {\it Chandra} upper limit
shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star-formation dominated in the
X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA
radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio
correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN
contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6
0.3) 10 L_{\sun} originates almost solely from vigorous star
formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 0.03 kpc,
SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest of any known
galaxy. This high , which approaches the Eddington limit for a
radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of
very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Coating mechanisms of single-walled carbon nanotube by linear polyether surfactants: insights from computer simulations
The noncovalent coating of carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, has important applications in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. The molecular modeling of this process can clarify its mechanism and provide a tool for the design of novel materials. In this paper, the coating mechanism of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in aqueous solutions by 1,2-dimethoxyethane oxide (DME), 1,2-dimethoxypropane oxide (DMP), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) pentamers, and L64 triblock copolymer chains have been studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results suggest a preferential binding to the SWCNT surface of the DMP molecules with respect to DME mainly driven by their difference in hydrophobicity. For the longer pentamers, it depends by the chain conformation. PPO isomers with radius of gyration larger than PEO pentamers bind more tightly than those with more compact conformation. In the case of the L64 triblock copolymer, the coating of the SWCNT surface produces a shell of PPO blocks with the PEO chains protruding into bulk water as expected from the so-called nonwrapping binding mechanism of SWCNT. In addition, the polymer coating, in qualitative agreement with experimental evidence on the poor capability of the L64 to disperse SWCNT, do not prevent the formation of CNT aggregates
The Rest-Frame Submillimeter Spectrum of High-Redshift, Dusty, Star-Forming Galaxies
We present the average rest-frame spectrum of high-redshift dusty,
star-forming galaxies from 250-770GHz. This spectrum was constructed by
stacking ALMA 3mm spectra of 22 such sources discovered by the South Pole
Telescope and spanning z=2.0-5.7. In addition to multiple bright spectral
features of 12CO, [CI], and H2O, we also detect several faint transitions of
13CO, HCN, HNC, HCO+, and CN, and use the observed line strengths to
characterize the typical properties of the interstellar medium of these
high-redshift starburst galaxies. We find that the 13CO brightness in these
objects is comparable to that of the only other z>2 star-forming galaxy in
which 13CO has been observed. We show that the emission from the high-critical
density molecules HCN, HNC, HCO+, and CN is consistent with a warm, dense
medium with T_kin ~ 55K and n_H2 >~ 10^5.5 cm^-3. High molecular hydrogen
densities are required to reproduce the observed line ratios, and we
demonstrate that alternatives to purely collisional excitation are unlikely to
be significant for the bulk of these systems. We quantify the average emission
from several species with no individually detected transitions, and find
emission from the hydride CH and the linear molecule CCH for the first time at
high redshift, indicating that these molecules may be powerful probes of
interstellar chemistry in high-redshift systems. These observations represent
the first constraints on many molecular species with rest-frame transitions
from 0.4-1.2mm in star-forming systems at high redshift, and will be invaluable
in making effective use of ALMA in full science operations.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures (2 in appendices); accepted for publication in
Ap
The redshift distribution of dusty star forming galaxies from the SPT survey
We use the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Cycle 1 to
determine spectroscopic redshifts of high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies
(DSFGs) selected by their 1.4mm continuum emission in the South Pole Telescope
(SPT) survey. We present ALMA 3mm spectral scans between 84-114GHz for 15
galaxies and targeted ALMA 1mm observations for an additional eight sources.
Our observations yield 30 new line detections from CO, [CI] , [NII] , H_2O and
NH_3. We further present APEX [CII] and CO mid-J observations for seven sources
for which only a single line was detected in spectral-scan data from ALMA Cycle
0 or Cycle 1. We combine the new observations with previously published and new
mm/submm line and photometric data of the SPT-selected DSFGs to study their
redshift distribution. The combined data yield 39 spectroscopic redshifts from
molecular lines, a success rate of >85%. Our sample represents the largest data
set of its kind today and has the highest spectroscopic completeness among all
redshift surveys of high-z DSFGs. The median of the redshift distribution is
z=3.9+/-0.4, and the highest-redshift source in our sample is at z=5.8. We
discuss how the selection of our sources affects the redshift distribution,
focusing on source brightness, selection wavelength, and strong gravitational
lensing. We correct for the effect of gravitational lensing and find the
redshift distribution for 1.4mm-selected sources with a median redshift of
z=3.1+/-0.3. Comparing to redshift distributions selected at shorter
wavelengths from the literature, we show that selection wavelength affects the
shape of the redshift distribution
Strong gravitational lensing as a probe of dark matter
Dark matter structures within strong gravitational lens galaxies and along their lines of sight leave a gravitational imprint on the multiple images of lensed sources. Strong gravitational lensing provides, therefore, a key test of different dark matter models. In this article, we describe how galaxy-scale strong gravitational lensing observations are sensitive to the physical nature of dark matter. We provide an historical perspective of the field, and review its current status. We discuss the challenges and advances in terms of data, treatment of systematic errors and theoretical predictions, that will enable one to deliver a stringent and robust test of different dark matter models in the next decade. With the advent of the next generation of sky surveys, the number of known strong gravitational lens systems is expected to increase by several orders of magnitude. Coupled with high-resolution follow-up observations, these data will provide a key opportunity to constrain the properties of dark matter with strong gravitational lensing.The Max Planck Society for support through a Max Planck Lise Meitner Group and funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme; the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodovska-Curie grant agreement No 897124; a Gliese Fellowship; the National Science Foundation; a HQP grant from the McDonald Institute; the Schmidt Futures Foundation; the National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada; the Fonds de recherche du Québec; the Canada Research Chairs Program; the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research; the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.http://link.springer.com/journal/11214hj2024PhysicsNon
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