13 research outputs found

    WATER EMISSION FROM EARLY UNIVERSE

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    The study of dusty star forming galaxies (DSFGs) is important to understand galaxy assembly in early universe. A bulk of star formation at zsim2−3z sim 2-3 takes place in DSFGs but are obscured by dust in optical/UV. However, they are extremely bright in far infrared (FIR) and submillimeter with infrared luminosities of 1011−1013Lodot10^{11} - 10^{13} L_{odot}. _x000d_ ALMA, with its high spatial and spectral resolution, has opened up a new window to study molecular lines, which are vital to our understanding of the excitation and physical processes in the galaxy. Carbon monoxide (COCO) being the second most abundant and bright molecule after hydrogen (H2H_{2}), is an important tracer of star forming potential. Besides COCO, water (H2OH_{2}O) is also abundant and it's line strength is comparable to high-J COCO lines in high redshift Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). Studies have shown H2OH_{2}O to directly trace the FIR field and hence the star forming regions. Moreover, LH2O/LIRL_{H_{2}O}/L_{IR} ratio is nearly constant for five of the most important water lines and does not depend on the presence of AGN implying that H2OH_{2}O is one of the best tracers of star forming regions (SFRs). This incredible correlation holds for nearly five orders of magnitude in luminosity and observed in both local and high redshift luminous infrared galaxies.\\_x000d_ In this talk, I will discuss the importance of H2OH_{2}O in tracing FIR field and show the preliminary results of resolved water emission from three high-redshift gravitationally lensed South Pole Telescope (SPT) sources obtained from ALMA cycle 3 and cycle 4. These sources are among the first H2OH_{2}O observations with resolved spatial scales sim1sim 1 kpc kpc and will prove to be important for ALMA and galaxy evolution studies._x000d

    Ubiquitous Molecular Outflows in z > 4 Massive, Dusty Galaxies I. Sample Overview and Clumpy Structure in Molecular Outflows on 500pc Scales

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    Massive galaxy-scale outflows of gas are one of the most commonly-invoked mechanisms to regulate the growth and evolution of galaxies throughout the universe. While the gas in outflows spans a large range of temperatures and densities, the cold molecular phase is of particular interest because molecular outflows may be capable of suppressing star formation in galaxies by removing the star-forming gas. We have conducted the first survey of molecular outflows at z > 4, targeting 11 strongly-lensed dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) with high-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of OH 119um absorption as an outflow tracer. In this first paper, we give an overview of the survey, focusing on the detection rate and structure of molecular outflows. We find unambiguous evidence for outflows in 8/11 (73%) galaxies, more than tripling the number known at z > 4. This implies that molecular winds in z > 4 DSFGs must have both a near-unity occurrence rate and large opening angles to be detectable in absorption. Lensing reconstructions reveal that 500pc-scale clumpy structures in the outflows are common. The individual clumps are not directly resolved, but from optical depth arguments we expect that future observations will require 50-200pc spatial resolution to do so. We do not detect high-velocity [CII] wings in any of the sources with clear OH outflows, indicating that [CII] is not a reliable tracer of molecular outflows. Our results represent a first step toward characterizing molecular outflows at z > 4 at the population level, demonstrating that large-scale outflows are ubiquitous among early massive, dusty galaxies.Comment: ApJ accepted. 28 pages, 12 figures + appendix. Data and tables from Papers I and II available at https://github.com/spt-smg/publicdat

    Multiphase ISM in the z = 5.7 Hyperluminous Starburst SPT 0346-52

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    International audienceWith ΣSFR ~ 4200 M ⊙ yr-1 kpc-2, SPT 0346-52 (z = 5.7) is the most intensely star-forming galaxy discovered by the South Pole Telescope. In this paper, we expand on previous spatially resolved studies, using ALMA observations of dust continuum, [N II] 205 μm, [C II] 158 μm, [O I] 146 μm, and undetected [N II] 122 μm and [O I] 63 μm emission to study the multiphase interstellar medium (ISM) in SPT 0346-52. We use pixelated, visibility-based lens modeling to reconstruct the source-plane emission. We also model the source-plane emission using the photoionization code CLOUDY and find a supersolar metallicity system. We calculate T dust = 48.3 K and λ peak = 80 μm and see line deficits in all five lines. The ionized gas is less dense than comparable galaxies, with n e -3, while ~20% of the [C II] 158 μm emission originates from the ionized phase of the ISM. We also calculate the masses of several phases of the ISM. We find that molecular gas dominates the mass of the ISM in SPT 0346-52, with the molecular gas mass ~4× higher than the neutral atomic gas mass and ~100× higher than the ionized gas mass

    A dense, solar metallicity ISM in the

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    We present a study of six far-infrared fine structure lines in the z = 4.225 lensed dusty star-forming galaxy SPT 0418−47 to probe the physical conditions of its interstellar medium (ISM). In particular, we report Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) detections of the [OI] 145 μm and [OIII] 88 μm lines and Atacama Compact Array (ACA) detections of the [NII] 122 and 205 μm lines. The [OI] 145 μm/[CII] 158 μm line ratio is ∼5× higher compared to the average of local galaxies. We interpret this as evidence that the ISM is dominated by photo-dissociation regions with high gas densities. The line ratios, and in particular those of [OIII] 88 μm and [NII] 122 μm imply that the ISM in SPT 0418−47 is already chemically enriched to nearly solar metallicity. While the strong gravitational amplification was required to detect these lines with APEX, larger samples can be observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and should allow observers to determine if the dense, solar metallicity ISM is common among these highly star-forming galaxies

    Extended Lyman-α\alpha emission towards the SPT2349-56 protocluster at z=4.3z=4.3

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    Context. Deep spectroscopic surveys with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed that some of the brightest infrared sources in the sky correspond to concentrations of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFG) at high redshift. Among these, the SPT2349-56 protocluster system at z = 4.304 is amongst the most extreme examples due to its high source density and integrated star formation rate. Aims. We conducted a deep Lyman-α\alpha line emission survey around SPT2349-56 using the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at Very Large Telescope (VLT) in order to characterize this uniquely dense environment. Methods. Taking advantage of the deep three-dimensional nature of this survey, we performed a sensitive search for Lyman-α\alpha emitters (LAEs) toward the core and northern extension of the protocluster, which correspond to the brightest infrared regions in this field. Using a smoothed narrowband image extracted from the MUSE datacube around the protocluster redshift, we searched for possible extended structures. Results. We identify only three LAEs at z = 4.3 in this field, in concordance with expectations for blank-fields, and an extended Lyman-α\alpha structure spatially associated with core of the protocluster. All the previously-identified DSFGs in this field are undetected in Lyman-α\alpha emission, consistent with the conspicuous dust obscuration in these systems. We find an extended Lyman-α\alpha structure, about 60×6060 \times 60 kpc2^{2} in size, and located 56 kpc west of the protocluster core. Three DSFGs coincide spatially with the location of this structure. We conclude that either the three co-spatial DSFGs or the protocluster core itself are feeding ionizing photons to the Lyman-α\alpha structure

    Imaging the molecular interstellar medium in a gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxy at z = 5.7

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    International audience Aims: We present and study spatially resolved imaging obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of multiple 12CO(J = 6 - 5, 8-7, and 9-8) and two H2O(202-111 and 211-202) emission lines and cold dust continuum toward the gravitationally lensed dusty star-forming galaxy SPT 0346-52 at z = 5.656. Methods: Using a visibility-domain source-plane reconstruction we probe the structure and dynamics of the different components of the interstellar medium (ISM) in this galaxy down to scales of 1 kpc in the source plane. Results: Measurements of the intrinsic sizes of the different CO emission lines indicate that the higher J transitions trace more compact regions in the galaxy. Similarly, we find smaller dust continuum intrinsic sizes with decreasing wavelength, based on observations at rest frame 130, 300, and 450 μm. The source shows significant velocity structure, and clear asymmetry where an elongated structure is observed in the source plane with significant variations in their reconstructed sizes. This could be attributed to a compact merger or turbulent disk rotation. The differences in velocity structure through the different line tracers, however, hint at the former scenario in agreement with previous [CII] line imaging results. Measurements of the CO line ratios and magnifications yield significant variations as a function of velocity, suggesting that modeling of the ISM using integrated values could be misinterpreted. Modeling of the ISM in SPT 0346-52 based on delensed fluxes indicates a highly dense and warm medium, qualitatively similar to that observed in high-redshift quasar hosts. A copy of the reduced datacubes is available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/628/A23</A

    Source Structure and Molecular Gas Properties from High-resolution CO Imaging of SPT-selected Dusty Star-forming Galaxies

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    We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of high-J CO lines (J(up) = 6, 7, 8) and associated dust continuum toward five strongly lensed, dusty, star-forming galaxies at redshift z = 2.7-5.7. These galaxies, discovered in the South Pole Telescope survey, are observed at 0.'' 2-0.'' 4 resolution with ALMA. Our high-resolution imaging coupled with the lensing magnification provides a measurement of the structure and kinematics of molecular gas in the background galaxies with spatial resolutions down to kiloparsec scales. We derive visibility-based lens models for each galaxy, accurately reproducing observations of four of the galaxies. Of these four targets, three show clear velocity gradients, of which two are likely rotating disks. We find that the reconstructed region of CO emission is less concentrated than the region emitting dust continuum even for the moderate-excitation CO lines, similar to what has been seen in the literature for lower-excitation transitions. We find that the lensing magnification of a given source can vary by 20%-50% across the line profile, between the continuum and line, and between different CO transitions. We apply Large Velocity Gradient modeling using apparent and intrinsic line ratios between lower-J and high-J CO lines. Ignoring these magnification variations can bias the estimate of physical properties of interstellar medium of the galaxies. The magnitude of the bias varies from galaxy to galaxy and is not necessarily predictable without high-resolution observations.University of Florida; McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin; Australian Government; Simons FoundationThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

    Spatially Resolved Water Emission from Gravitationally Lensed Dusty Star-forming Galaxies at z ∼ 3

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    International audienceWater (H2O), one of the most ubiquitous molecules in the universe, has bright millimeter-wave emission lines that are easily observed at high redshift with the current generation of instruments. The low-excitation transition of H2O, p - {{{H}}}2{{O}}({2}0,2}-{1}1,1}) (ν rest = 987.927 GHz), is known to trace the far-infrared (FIR) radiation field independent of the presence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) over many orders of magnitude in FIR luminosity ({L}FIR}). This indicates that this transition arises mainly due to star formation. In this paper, we present spatially (∼0.″5 corresponding to ∼1 kiloparsec) and spectrally resolved (∼100 kms-1) observations of p - {{{H}}}2{{O}}({2}0,2}-{1}1,1}) in a sample of four strong gravitationally lensed high-redshift galaxies with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. In addition to increasing the sample of luminous (>1012 L ⊙) galaxies observed with H2O, this paper examines the {L}{{{H}}2{{O}}}/{L}FIR} relation on resolved scales for the first time at high redshift. We find that {L}{{{H}}2{{O}}} is correlated with {L}FIR} on both global and resolved kiloparsec scales within the galaxy in starbursts and AGN with average {L}{{{H}}2{{O}}}/{L}FIR} = {2.76}-1.21+2.15 × {10}-5. We find that the scatter in the observed {L}{{{H}}2{{O}}}/{L}FIR} relation does not obviously correlate with the effective temperature of the dust spectral energy distribution or the molecular gas surface density. This is a first step in developing p - {{{H}}}2{{O}}({2}0,2}-{1}1,1}) as a resolved star formation rate calibrator

    Molecular Line Observations in Two Dusty Star-forming Galaxies at z = 6.9

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    SPT0311-58 is the most massive infrared luminous system discovered so far during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the molecular interstellar medium at z = 6.9, through high-resolution observations of the CO(6-5), CO(7-6), CO(10-9), [CI](2-1), and p-H2O(211-202) lines and dust continuum emission with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The system consists of a pair of intensely star-forming gravitationally lensed galaxies (labelled West and East). The intrinsic far-infrared luminosity is (16 ±\pm 4)×1012 L⊙\times\rm 10^{12} \ \rm L_{\odot} in West and (27 ±\pm 4)×1011 L⊙\times\rm 10^{11} \ \rm L_{\odot} in East. We model the dust, CO, and [CI] using non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer models and estimate the intrinsic gas mass to be (5.4 ±\pm 3.4)×1011 M⊙\times\rm 10^{11} \ \rm M_{\odot} in West and (3.1 ±\pm 2.7)×1010 M⊙\times\rm 10^{10} \ \rm M_{\odot} in East. We find that the CO spectral line energy distribution in West and East are typical of high-redshift sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs). The CO-to-H2 conversion factor (αCO\alpha_{CO}) and the gas depletion time scales estimated from the model are consistent with the high-redshift SMGs in the literature within the uncertainties. We find no evidence of evolution of depletion time with redshift in SMGs at z > 3. This is the most detailed study of molecular gas content of a galaxy in the EoR to-date, with the most distant detection of H2O in a galaxy without any evidence for active galactic nuclei in the literature.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 34 pages, 17 figure
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