Witnessing the birth of the red sequence: alma high-resolution imaging of [c ii] and dust in two interacting ultra-red starbursts atz= 4.425

Oteo, I., Ivison, R. J., Dunne, Loretta ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9880-2543, Smail, I., Swinbank, A. M., Zhang, Z-Y., Lewis, A., Maddox, Steve ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5549-195X, Riechers, D., Serjeant, S., Werf, P. Van der, Biggs, A. D., Bremer, M., Cigan, Phillip, Clements, D. L., Cooray, A., Dannerbauer, H., Eales, Stephen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7394-426X, Ibar, E., Messias, H., Michalowski, M. J., Pérez-Fournon, I. and Kampen, E. van 2016. Witnessing the birth of the red sequence: alma high-resolution imaging of [c ii] and dust in two interacting ultra-red starbursts atz= 4.425. Astrophysical Journal 827 (1) , pp. 34-45. 10.3847/0004-637X/827/1/34

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Abstract

Exploiting the sensitivity and spatial resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we have studied the morphology and the physical scale of the interstellar medium—both gas and dust—in SGP 38326, an unlensed pair of interacting starbursts at z = 4.425. SGP 38326 is the most luminous star bursting system known at z > 4, with a total IR luminosity of L IR ~ 2.5 × 1013 L ⊙ and a star formation rate of ~ 4500 M ⊙ yr−1. SGP 38326 also contains a molecular gas reservoir among the most massive yet found in the early universe, and it is the likely progenitor of a massive, red-and-dead elliptical galaxy at z ~ 3. Probing scales of ~0farcs1 or ~800 pc we find that the smooth distribution of the continuum emission from cool dust grains contrasts with the more irregular morphology of the gas, as traced by the [C ii] fine structure emission. The gas is also extended over larger physical scales than the dust. The velocity information provided by the resolved [C ii] emission reveals that the dynamics of the two interacting components of SGP 38326 are each compatible with disk-like, ordered rotation, but also reveals an ISM which is turbulent and unstable. Our observations support a scenario where at least a subset of the most distant extreme starbursts are highly dissipative mergers of gas-rich galaxies.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics
Uncontrolled Keywords:	galaxies: high-redshift – galaxies: ISM – galaxies: starburst – submillimeter: galaxies
Publisher:	American Astronomical Society
ISSN:	0004-637X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 April 2017
Date of Acceptance:	13 June 2016
Last Modified:	03 Dec 2024 04:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/100099

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