| 1. |
- Bakx, Tom, 1990, et al.
(author)
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A dusty protocluster surrounding the binary galaxy HerBS-70 at z = 2.3
- 2024
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 530:4, s. 4578-4596
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on deep SCUBA-2 observations at 850 μm and NOrthern Extended Millimetre Array (NOEMA) spectroscopic measurements at 2 mm of the environment surrounding the luminous, massive (M∗ ≈ 2 × 1011 M☉) Herschel-selected source HerBS-70. This source was revealed by previous NOEMA observations to be a binary system of dusty star-forming galaxies at z = 2.3, with the east component (HerBS-70E) hosting an active galactic nucleus. The SCUBA-2 observations detected, in addition to the binary system, 21 sources at >3.5σ over an area of ∼25 square comoving Mpc with a sensitivity of 1σ850 = 0.75 mJy. The surface density of continuum sources around HerBS-70 is three times higher than for field galaxies. The NOEMA spectroscopic measurements confirm the protocluster membership of three of the nine brightest sources through their CO(4–3) line emission, yielding a volume density 36 times higher than for field galaxies. All five confirmed sub-mm galaxies in the HerBS-70 system have relatively short gas depletion times (80−500 Myr), indicating the onset of quenching for this protocluster core due to the depletion of gas. The dark matter halo mass of the HerBS-70 system is estimated around 5 × 1013 M☉, with a projected current-day mass of 1015 M☉, similar to the local Virgo and Coma clusters. These observations support the claim that DSFGs, in particular the ones with observed multiplicity, can trace cosmic overdensities.
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| 2. |
- Bendo, G. J., et al.
(author)
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The bright extragalactic ALMA redshift survey (BEARS) – II. Millimetre photometry of gravitational lens candidates
- 2023
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 522:2, s. 2995-3017
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present 101- and 151-GHz ALMA continuum images for 85 fields selected from Herschel observations that have 500-μm flux densities >80 mJy and 250–500-μm colours consistent with z > 2, most of which are expected to be gravitationally lensed or hyperluminous infrared galaxies. Approximately half of the Herschel 500-μm sources were resolved into multiple ALMA sources, but 11 of the 15 brightest 500-μm Herschel sources correspond to individual ALMA sources. For the 37 fields containing either a single source with a spectroscopic redshift or two sources with the same spectroscopic redshift, we examined the colour temperatures and dust emissivity indices. The colour temperatures only vary weakly with redshift and are statistically consistent with no redshift-dependent temperature variations, which generally corresponds to results from other samples selected in far-infrared, submillimetre, or millimetre bands but not to results from samples selected in optical or near-infrared bands. The dust emissivity indices, with very few exceptions, are largely consistent with a value of 2. We also compared spectroscopic redshifts to photometric redshifts based on spectral energy distribution templates designed for infrared-bright high-redshift galaxies. While the templates systematically underestimate the redshifts by ∼15 per cent, the inclusion of ALMA data decreases the scatter in the predicted redshifts by a factor of ∼2, illustrating the potential usefulness of these millimetre data for estimating photometric redshifts.
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| 3. |
- Berta, S., et al.
(author)
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z -GAL: A NOEMA spectroscopic redshift survey of bright Herschel galaxies: III. Physical properties
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 678
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The z-GAL survey observed 137 bright Herschel-selected targets with the IRAM Northern Extended Millimeter Array, with the aim to measure their redshift and study their properties. Several of them have been resolved into multiple sources. Consequently, robust spectroscopic redshifts have been measured for 165 individual galaxies in the range 0.8., <., z., <., 6.5. In this paper we analyse the millimetre spectra of the z-GAL sources, using both their continuum and line emission to derive their physical properties. At least two spectral lines are detected for each source, including transitions of 12CO, [CI], and H2O. The observed 12CO line ratios and spectral line energy distributions of individual sources resemble those of local starbursts. In seven sources the para-H2O (211-202) transition is detected and follows the IR versus H2O luminosity relation of sub-millimetre galaxies. The molecular gas mass of the z-GAL sources is derived from their 12CO, [CI], and sub-millimetre dust continuum emission. The three tracers lead to consistent results, with the dust continuum showing the largest scatter when compared to 12CO. The gas-to-dust mass ratio of these sources was computed by combining the information derived from 12CO and the dust continuum and has a median value of 107, similar to star-forming galaxies of near-solar metallicity. The same combined analysis leads to depletion timescales in the range between 0.1 and 1.0 Gyr, which place the z-GAL sources between the main sequence' of star formation and the locus of starbursts. Finally, we derived a first estimate of stellar masses "modulo possible gravitational magnification "by inverting known gas scaling relations: the z-GAL sample is confirmed to be mostly composed by starbursts, whereas ∼25% of its members lie on the main sequence of star-forming galaxies (within ±0.5 dex).
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| 4. |
- Borsato, E., et al.
(author)
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Characterization of Herschel-selected strong lens candidates through HST and sub-mm/mm observations
- 2024
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 528:4, s. 6222-6279
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have carried out Hubble Space Telescope (HST) snapshot observations at 1.1 μm of 281 candidate strongly lensed galaxies identified in the wide-area extragalactic surveys conducted with the Herschel Space Observatory. Our candidates comprise systems with flux densities at 500 μm, S500 ≥ 80 mJy. We model and subtract the surface brightness distribution for 130 systems, where we identify a candidate for the foreground lens candidate. After combining visual inspection, archival high-resolution observations, and lens subtraction, we divide the systems into different classes according to their lensing likelihood. We confirm 65 systems to be lensed. Of these, 30 are new discoveries. We successfully perform lens modelling and source reconstruction on 23 systems, where the foreground lenses are isolated galaxies and the background sources are detected in the HST images. All the systems are successfully modelled as a singular isothermal ellipsoid. The Einstein radii of the lenses and the magnifications of the background sources are consistent with previous studies. However, the background source circularized radii (between 0.34 and 1.30 kpc) are ∼3 times smaller than the ones measured in the sub-millimetre/millimetre for a similarly selected and partially overlapping sample. We compare our lenses with those in the Sloan Lens Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Survey confirming that our lens-independent selection is more effective at picking up fainter and diffuse galaxies and group lenses. This sample represents the first step towards characterizing the near-infrared properties and stellar masses of the gravitationally lensed dusty star-forming galaxies.
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| 5. |
- Cox, P., et al.
(author)
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z-GAL: A NOEMA spectroscopic redshift survey of bright Herschel galaxies: I. Overview
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 678
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using the IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimetre Array (NOEMA), we conducted a Large Programme (z-GAL) to measure redshifts for 126 bright galaxies detected in the Herschel Astrophysical Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS), the HerMES Large Mode Survey (HeLMS), and the Herschel Stripe 82 (HerS) Survey. We report reliable spectroscopic redshifts for a total of 124 of the Herschel-selected galaxies. The redshifts are estimated from scans of the 3 and 2-mm bands (and, for one source, the 1-mm band), covering up to 31 GHz in each band, and are based on the detection of at least two emission lines. Together with the Pilot Programme, where 11 sources had their spectroscopic redshifts measured, our survey has derived precise redshifts for 135 bright Herschel-selected galaxies, making it the largest sample of high-z galaxies with robust redshifts to date. Most emission lines detected are from 12CO (mainly from J = 2 1 to 5 4), with some sources seen in [CI] and H2O emission lines. The spectroscopic redshifts are in the range 0.8
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| 6. |
- Franco, Maximilian, et al.
(author)
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The ramp-up of interstellar medium enrichment at z > 4
- 2021
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In: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 5, s. 1240-1246
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fluorine is one of the most interesting elements for nuclear and stellar astrophysics1,2. Fluorine abundance was first measured for stars other than the Sun in 19921, then for a handful of metal-poor stars3, which are likely to have formed in the early Universe. The main production sites of fluorine are under debate and include asymptotic giant branch stars, the ν-process in core-collapse supernovae, and Wolf–Rayet stars4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Due to the difference in the mass and lifetime of progenitor stars, high-redshift observations of fluorine can help constrain the mechanism of fluorine production in massive galaxies. Here, we report the detection of HF (signal-to-noise ratio of 8) in absorption in a gravitationally lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at redshift z = 4.4 with NHF/NH2NH2 as high as ~2 × 10−9, indicating a very quick ramp-up of the chemical enrichment in this high-z galaxy. At z = 4.4, asymptotic giant branch stars of a few solar masses are very unlikely to dominate the enrichment. Instead, we show that Wolf–Rayet stars are required to produce the observed fluorine abundance at this time, with other production mechanisms becoming important at later times. These observations therefore provide an insight into the underlying processes driving the ramp-up phase of chemical enrichment alongside rapid stellar mass assembly in a young massive galaxy.
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| 7. |
- Garratt, T. K., et al.
(author)
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The SCUBA-2 Large eXtragalactic Survey: 850 μm map, catalogue and the bright-end number counts of the XMM-LSS field
- 2023
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 520:3, s. 3669-3687
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present 850 μm imaging of the XMM-LSS field observed for 170 h as part of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope SCUBA-2 Large eXtragalactic Survey (S2LXS). S2LXS XMM-LSS maps an area of 9 deg2, reaching a moderate depth of 1σ 4 mJy beam−1. This is the largest contiguous area of extragalactic sky mapped by James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) at 850 μm to date. The wide area of the S2LXS XMM-LSS survey allows us to probe the ultra-bright (S850μm 15 mJy), yet rare submillimetre population. We present the S2LXS XMM-LSS catalogue, which comprises 40 sources detected at >5σ significance, with deboosted flux densities in the range of 7–48 mJy. We robustly measure the bright-end of the 850 μm number counts at flux densities >7 mJy, reducing the Poisson errors compared to existing measurements. The S2LXS XMM-LSS observed number counts show the characteristic upturn at bright fluxes, expected to be motivated by local sources of submillimetre emission and high-redshift strongly lensed galaxies. We find that the observed 850 μm number counts are best reproduced by model predictions that include either strong lensing or source blending from a 15-arcsec beam, indicating that both may make an important contribution to the observed overabundance of bright single dish 850 μm selected sources. We make the S2LXS XMM-LSS 850 μm map and >5σ catalogue presented here publicly available.
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| 8. |
- Gonzalez-Alfonso, Eduardo, et al.
(author)
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Importance of radiative pumping for the excitation of the H2O submillimeter lines in galaxies
- 2022
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 666
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- H2O submillimeter emission is a powerful diagnostic of the molecular interstellar medium in a variety of sources, including low- and high-mass star-forming regions of the Milky Way, and from local to high-redshift galaxies. However, the excitation mechanism of these lines in galaxies has been debated, preventing a basic consensus on the physical information that H2O provides. Radiative pumping due to H2O absorption of far-infrared photons emitted by dust and collisional excitation in dense shocked gas have both been proposed to explain the H2O emission. Here we propose two basic diagnostics to distinguish between the two mechanisms: First, the ortho-H2O 3(21) - 2(12) 75 mu m and the para-H2O 2(20) - 1(11) 101 mu m rotational lines in shock-excited regions are expected to be in emission, while when radiative pumping dominates, the two far-infrared lines are expected to be in absorption. Second, the radiative pumping scenario predicts, based on the statistical equilibrium of H2O level populations, that the apparent isotropic net rate of far-infrared absorption in the 3(21)<- 2(12) (75 mu m) and 2(20)<- 1(11) (101 mu m) lines should be higher than or equal to the apparent isotropic net rate of submillimeter emission in the 3(21)-> 3(12) (1163 GHz) and 2(20)-> 2(11) (1229 GHz) lines, respectively. Applying both criteria to all 16 galaxies and several Galactic high-mass star-forming regions in which the H2O 75 mu m and submillimeter lines have been observed with Herschel/PACS and SPIRE, we show that in most (extra)galactic sources, the H2O submillimeter line excitation is dominated by far-infrared pumping, combined in some cases with collisional excitation of the lowest energy levels. Based on this finding, we revisit the interpretation of the correlation between the luminosity of the H2O 988 GHz line and the source luminosity in the combined Galactic and extragalactic sample.
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| 9. |
- Gorski, Mark, 1989, et al.
(author)
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The opaque heart of the galaxy IC 860: Analogous protostellar, kinematics, morphology, and chemistry
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 670
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Compact Obscured Nuclei (CONs) account for a significant fraction of the population of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs). These galaxy nuclei are compact, with radii of 10-100 pc, with large optical depths at submm and far-infrared wavelengths, and characterized by vibrationally excited HCN emission. It is not known what powers the large luminosities of the CON host galaxies because of the extreme optical depths towards their nuclei. CONs represent an extreme phase of nuclear growth, hiding either a rapidly accreting supermassive black hole or an abnormal mode of star formation. Regardless of their power source, the CONs allow us to investigate the processes of nuclear growth in galaxies. Here we apply principal component analysis (PCA) tomography to high-resolution (000:06) ALMA observations at frequencies 245 to 265 GHz of the nearby CON (59 Mpc) IC 860. PCA is a technique to unveil correlation in the data parameter space, and we apply it to explore the morphological and chemical properties of species in our dataset. The leading principal components reveal morphological features in molecular emission that suggest a rotating, infalling disk or envelope, and an outflow analogous to those seen in Galactic protostars. One particular molecule of astrochemical interest is methanimine (CH2NH), a precursor to glycine, three transitions of which have been detected towards IC 860.We estimate the average CH2NH column density towards the nucleus of IC 860 to be _1017cm2, with an abundance exceeding 108 relative to molecular hydrogen, using the rotation diagram method and non-LTE radiative transfer models. This CH2NH abundance is consistent with those found in hot cores of molecular clouds in the Milky Way. Our analysis suggests that CONs are an important stage of chemical evolution in galaxies, that are chemically and morphologically similar to Milky Way hot cores.
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| 10. |
- Hagimoto, Masato, et al.
(author)
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Bright extragalactic ALMA redshift survey (BEARS) III: detailed study of emission lines from 71 Herschel targets
- 2023
-
In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 521:4, s. 5508-5535
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We analyse the molecular and atomic emission lines of 71 bright Herschel-selected galaxies between redshifts 1.4 and 4.6 detected by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. These lines include a total of 156 CO, [C i], and H2O emission lines. For 46 galaxies, we detect two transitions of CO lines, and for these galaxies we find gas properties similar to those of other dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG) samples. A comparison to photodissociation models suggests that most of Herschel-selected galaxies have similar interstellar medium conditions as local infrared-luminous galaxies and high-redshift DSFGs, although with denser gas and more intense far-ultraviolet radiation fields than normal star-forming galaxies. The line luminosities agree with the luminosity scaling relations across five orders of magnitude, although the star formation and gas surface density distributions (i.e. Schmidt-Kennicutt relation) suggest a different star formation phase in our galaxies (and other DSFGs) compared to local and low-redshift gas-rich, normal star-forming systems. The gas-to-dust ratios of these galaxies are similar to Milky Way values, with no apparent redshift evolution. Four of 46 sources appear to have CO line ratios in excess of the expected maximum (thermalized) profile, suggesting a rare phase in the evolution of DSFGs. Finally, we create a deep stacked spectrum over a wide rest-frame frequency (220-890 GHz) that reveals faint transitions from HCN and CH, in line with previous stacking experiments.
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