A MASSIVE MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIR IN THE z = 5.3 SUBMILLIMETER GALAXY AzTEC-3
A MASSIVE MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIR IN THE z = 5.3 SUBMILLIMETER GALAXY AzTEC-3
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DOI：
10.1088/2041-8205/720/2/l131
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发表时间：
2010-08
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影响因子：
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通讯作者：
D. Riechers;P. Capak;C. Carilli;P. Cox;R. Neri;N. Scoville;E. Schinnerer;F. Bertoldi;Lin Yan
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作者：
D. Riechers;P. Capak;C. Carilli;P. Cox;R. Neri;N. Scoville;E. Schinnerer;F. Bertoldi;Lin Yan
我们报告了使用扩展甚大阵列和 Plateau de Bure 干涉仪在 z = 5.298 处最高红移亚毫米星系 (SMG) AzTEC-3 中检测到 CO J = 2→1、5→4 和 6→5 发射。这些观测结果最终证实了红移，使 AzTEC-3 成为 COSMOS 场中 z ≃ 5.3 大质量原星系团结构中亚毫米发光度最高的星系。 CO线发射的强度揭示了一个质量为5.3 × 1010(αCO/0.8) M☉的大型分子气藏，它可以在该系统中维持强烈的1800 M☉ yr−1星暴至少30 Myr，在此过程中恒星质量增加多达六倍。该气体质量与“典型”z ∼ 2 SMG 相当，占该星系重子质量（气体+恒星）的 80% 和总（动力）质量的 30%–80%。分子气藏的半径为 4 个 SMG，并且有 z > 4 个类星体宿主星系，它们可能追踪了不同的演化阶段。在位于 z = 5.3 的大型原星系团中心的 SMG 中发现了一个巨大的富含金属的气体储层，这大大增强了我们对早期大质量星系形成的理解，将其推回了宇宙年龄还不到当前年龄 1/12 的宇宙时代。
We report the detection of CO J = 2→1, 5→4, and 6→5 emission in the highest-redshift submillimeter galaxy (SMG) AzTEC-3 at z = 5.298, using the Expanded Very Large Array and the Plateau de Bure Interferometer. These observations ultimately confirm the redshift, making AzTEC-3 the most submillimeter-luminous galaxy in a massive z ≃ 5.3 protocluster structure in the COSMOS field. The strength of the CO line emission reveals a large molecular gas reservoir with a mass of 5.3 × 1010(αCO/0.8) M☉, which can maintain the intense 1800 M☉ yr−1 starburst in this system for at least 30 Myr, increasing the stellar mass by up to a factor of six in the process. This gas mass is comparable to “typical” z ∼ 2 SMGs and constitutes ≳80% of the baryonic mass (gas+stars) and 30%–80% of the total (dynamical) mass in this galaxy. The molecular gas reservoir has a radius of 4 SMGs and z > 4 quasar host galaxies, which perhaps trace different evolutionary stages. The discovery of a massive, metal-enriched gas reservoir in an SMG at the heart of a large z = 5.3 protocluster considerably enhances our understanding of early massive galaxy formation, pushing back to a cosmic epoch where the universe was less than 1/12 of its present age.