P. R. Maloney

A dust-obscured massive maximum-starburst galaxy at a redshift of 6.34

Massive present-day early-type (elliptical and lenticular) galaxies probably gained the bulk of their stellar mass and heavy elements through intense, dust-enshrouded starbursts—that is, increased rates of star formation—in the most massive dark-matter haloes at early epochs. However, it remains unknown how soon after the Big Bang massive starburst progenitors exist. The measured redshift (z) distribution of dusty, massive starbursts has long been suspected to be biased low in z owing to selection effects, as confirmed by recent findings of systems with redshifts as high as ∼5 (refs 2–4). Here we report the identification of a massive starburst galaxy at z = 6.34 through a submillimetre colour-selection technique. We unambiguously determined the redshift from a suite of molecular and atomic fine-structure cooling lines. These measurements reveal a hundred billion solar masses of highly excited, chemically evolved interstellar medium in this galaxy, which constitutes at least 40 per cent of the baryonic mass. A ‘maximum starburst’ converts the gas into stars at a rate more than 2,000 times that of the Milky Way, a rate among the highest observed at any epoch. Despite the overall downturn in cosmic star formation towards the highest redshifts, it seems that environments mature enough to form the most massive, intense starbursts existed at least as early as 880 million years after the Big Bang.

The detection of a population of submillimeter-bright, strongly lensed galaxies

Through a Lens Brightly Astronomical sources detected in the submillimeter range are generally thought to be distant, dusty galaxies undergoing a vigorous burst of star formation. They can be detected because the dust absorbs the light from stars and reemits it at longer wavelengths. Their properties are still difficult to ascertain, however, because the combination of interference from dust and the low spatial resolution of submillimeter telescopes prevents further study at other wavelengths. Using data from the Herschel Space Telescope, Negrello et al. (p. 800) showed that by searching for the brightest sources in a wide enough area in the sky it was possible to detect gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxies with nearly full efficiency. Gravitational lensing occurs when the light of an astronomical object is deflected by a foreground mass. This phenomenon increases the apparent brightness and angular size of the lensed objects, making it easier to study sources that would be otherwise too faint to probe. Data from the Herschel Space Observatory unveils distant, dusty galaxies invisible to optical telescopes. Gravitational lensing is a powerful astrophysical and cosmological probe and is particularly valuable at submillimeter wavelengths for the study of the statistical and individual properties of dusty star-forming galaxies. However, the identification of gravitational lenses is often time-intensive, involving the sifting of large volumes of imaging or spectroscopic data to find few candidates. We used early data from the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey to demonstrate that wide-area submillimeter surveys can simply and easily detect strong gravitational lensing events, with close to 100% efficiency.

THE BOLOCAM LOCKMAN HOLE MILLIMETER-WAVE GALAXY SURVEY: GALAXY CANDIDATES AND NUMBER COUNTS

We present results of a new deep 1.1 mm survey using Bolocam, a millimeter-wavelength bolometer array camera designed for mapping large fields at fast scan rates, without chopping. A map, galaxy candidate list, and derived number counts are presented. This survey encompasses 324 arcmin2 to an rms noise level (filtered for point sources) of ?1:1 mm ’1:4 mJy beam?1 and includes the entire regions surveyed by the published 8 mJy 850 ?m JCMT SCUBA and 1.2 mm IRAM MAMBO surveys. We reduced the data using a custom software pipeline to remove correlated sky and instrument noise via a principal component analysis. Extensive simulations and jackknife tests were performed to confirm the robustness of our source candidates and estimate the effects of false detections, bias, and completeness. In total, 17 source candidates were detected at a significance ?3.0 ?, with six expected false detections. Nine candidates are new detections, while eight candidates have coincident SCUBA 850 ?m and/or MAMBO 1.2 mm detections. From our observed number counts, we estimate the underlying differential number count distribution of submillimeter galaxies and find it to be in general agreement with previous surveys. Modeling the spectral energy distributions of these submillimeter galaxies after observations of dusty nearby galaxies suggests extreme luminosities of L ¼ ð1:0 1:6Þ ; 1013 L? and, if powered by star formation, star formation rates of 500–800 M? yr?1.

Measurements of CO Redshifts with Z-Spec for Lensed Submillimeter Galaxies Discovered in the H-ATLAS Survey

We present new observations from Z-Spec, a broadband 185-305 GHz spectrometer, of five submillimeter bright lensed sources selected from the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey science demonstration phase catalog. We construct a redshift-finding algorithm using combinations of the signal to noise of all the lines falling in the Z-Spec bandpass to determine redshifts with high confidence, even in cases where the signal to noise in individual lines is low. We measure the dust continuum in all sources and secure CO redshifts for four out of five (z ~ 1.5-3). In one source, SDP.17, we tentatively identify two independent redshifts and a water line, confirmed at z = 2.308. Our sources have properties characteristic of dusty starburst galaxies, with magnification-corrected star formation rates of 10^(2–3) M_☉ yr^(–1). Lower limits for the dust masses (~a few 10^8 M_☉) and spatial extents (~1 kpc equivalent radius) are derived from the continuum spectral energy distributions, corresponding to dust temperatures between 54 and 69 K. In the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) approximation, we derive relatively low CO excitation temperatures (≲100 K) and optical depths (τ ≲ 1). Performing a non-LTE excitation analysis using RADEX, we find that the CO lines measured by Z-Spec (from J = 4 → 3 to 10 → 9, depending on the galaxy) localize the best solutions to either a high-temperature/low-density region or a low/temperature/high-density region near the LTE solution, with the optical depth varying accordingly. Observations of additional CO lines, CO(1-0) in particular, are needed to constrain the non-LTE models.

HERSCHEL-SPIRE IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY OF MOLECULAR GAS IN M82

We present new Herschel-SPIRE imaging spectroscopy (194-671 mu m) of the bright starburst galaxy M82. Covering the CO ladder from J = 4 -\textgreater 3 to J = 13 -\textgreater 12, spectra were obtained at multiple positions for a fully sampled similar to 3 x 3 arcmin map, including a longer exposure at the central position. We present measurements of (CO)-C-12, (CO)-C-13, [CI], [NII], HCN, and HCO+ in emission, along with OH+, H2O+, and HF in absorption and H2O in both emission and absorption, with discussion. We use a radiative transfer code and Bayesian likelihood analysis to model the temperature, density, column density, and filling factor of multiple components of molecular gas traced by (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13, adding further evidence to the high-J lines tracing a much warmer (similar to 500 K), less massive component than the low-J lines. The addition of (CO)-C-13 (and [CI]) is new and indicates that [CI] may be tracing different gas than (CO)-C-12. No temperature/density gradients can be inferred from the map, indicating that the single-pointing spectrum is descriptive of the bulk properties of the galaxy. At such a high temperature, cooling is dominated by molecular hydrogen. Photon-dominated region (PDR) models require higher densities than those indicated by our Bayesian likelihood analysis in order to explain the high-J CO line ratios, though cosmic-ray-enhanced PDR models can do a better job reproducing the emission at lower densities. Shocks and turbulent heating are likely required to explain the bright high-J emission.

The Warm Molecular Gas around the Cloverleaf Quasar

We present the first broadband λ = 1 mm spectrum toward the z = 2.56 Cloverleaf quasar, obtained with Z-Spec, a grating spectrograph on the 10.4 m Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. The 190-305 GHz observation band corresponds to the rest frame 272-444 μm, and we measure the dust continuum as well as all four transitions of carbon monoxide (CO) lying in this range. The power-law dust emission, F_ν = 14 mJy(ν/240 GHz)^(3.9) is consistent with the published continuum measurements. The CO J = 6 → 5, J = 8 → 7, and J = 9 → 8 measurements are the first, and now provide the highest-J CO information in this source. Our measured CO intensities are very close to the previously published interferometric measurements of J = 7 → 6, and we use all available transitions and our ^(13)CO upper limits to constrain the physical conditions in the Cloverleaf molecular gas disk. We find a large mass (2-50 × 10^9 M_⊙) of highly excited gas with thermal pressure nT > 10^6 K cm^(–3). The ratio of the total CO cooling to the far-IR dust emission exceeds that in the local dusty galaxies, and we investigate the potential heating sources for this bulk of warm molecular gas. We conclude that both UV photons and X-rays likely contribute, and discuss implications for a top-heavy stellar initial mass function arising in the X-ray-irradiated starburst. Finally, we present tentative identifications of other species in the spectrum, including a possible detection of the H_2O 2_(0,2) → 1_(1,1) transition at λ_(rest) = 303 μm.

The Smith cloud: H i associated with the Sgr dwarf?

ABSTRA C T The Smith high-velocity cloud (VLSR o 98 km s π1 ) has been observed at two locations in the emission lines [O III]l5007, [N II]l6548 and Ha. Both the [N II] and Ha profiles show bright cores due to the Reynolds layer, and red wings with emission extending to VLSR < 130 km s π1 . This is the first simultaneous detection of two emission lines towards a high-velocity cloud, allowing us to form the ratio of these line profiles as a function of local standard of rest (LSR) velocity. At both cloud positions, we see a clear distinction between emission at the cloud velocity, and the Reynolds layer emission (VLSR < 0). The [N II]/Ha ratio (<0:25) for the Reynolds layer is typical of the warm ionized medium. At the cloud velocity, this ratio is enhanced by a factor of 3‐4 compared to emission at rest with respect to the LSR. A moderately deep upper limit at [O III] (0.12R at 3j) was derived from our data. If the emission arises from dilute photoionization from hot young stars, the highly enhanced [N II]/Ha ratio, the [O III] non-detection and weak Ha emission (0.24‐0.30R) suggest that the Smith cloud is 26 6 4 kpc from the Sun, at a Galactocentric radius of 20 6 4 kpc. This value assumes that the emission arises from an optically thick slab, with a covering fraction of unity as seen by the ionizing photons, the orientation of which is either (a) parallel to the Galactic disc, or (b) such as to maximize the received flux from the disc. The estimated mass and size of the cloud are 4 〈 10 6 M( and 6 kpc. We discuss a possible association with the much larger Sgr dwarf, at a Galactocentric radius of 16 6 2 kpc, which lies within 358 (,12 kpc) of the Smith cloud.

A Survey of the Molecular ISM Properties of Nearby Galaxies Using the Herschel FTS

The 12CO J=4-3 to J=13-12 lines of the interstellar medium from nearby galaxies, newly observable with the Herschel SPIRE Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS), offer an opportunity to study warmer, more luminous molecular gas than that traced by 12CO J=1-0. Here we present a survey of 17 nearby infrared-luminous galaxy systems (21 pointings). In addition to photometric modeling of dust, we modeled full 12CO spectral line energy distributions from J=1-0 to J=13-12 with two components of warm and cool CO gas, and included LTE analysis of [CI], [CII], [NII] and H2 lines. CO is emitted from a low-pressure/high-mass component traced by the low-J lines and a high-pressure/low-mass component which dominates the luminosity. We found that, on average, the ratios of the warm/cool pressure, mass, and 12CO luminosity are 60 +/- 30, 0.11 +/- 0.02, and 15.6 +/- 2.7. The gas-to-dust-mass ratios are < 120 throughout the sample. The 12CO luminosity is dominated by the high-J lines and is 4

Redshift determination and co line excitation modeling for the multiply lensed galaxy hlsw-01

\times 10^{-4}

The Dense Molecular Gas in the Circumnuclear Disk of NGC 1068

LFIR on average. We discuss systematic effects of single-component and multi-component CO modeling (e.g., single-component J < 3 models overestimate gas pressure by ~ 0.5 dex), as well as compare to Galactic star-forming regions. With this comparison, we show the molecular interstellar medium of starburst galaxies is not simply an ensemble of Galactic-type GMCs. The warm gas emission is likely dominated by regions resembling the warm extended cloud of Sgr B2.