CO(J = 1{yields}0) IN z > 2 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES: NO EVIDENCE FOR EXTENDED MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIRS
- Astronomy Department, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, WV 24944 (United States)
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019 (United States)
- European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 (United States)
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)
We report the detection of CO(J = 1{yields}0) emission in the strongly lensed high-redshift quasars IRAS F10214+4724 (z = 2.286), the Cloverleaf (z = 2.558), RX J0911+0551 (z = 2.796), SMM J04135+10277 (z = 2.846), and MG 0751+2716 (z = 3.200), using the Expanded Very Large Array and the Green Bank Telescope. We report lensing-corrected CO(J = 1{yields}0) line luminosities of L'{sub CO} = (0.34-18.4) x 10{sup 10} K km s{sup -1} pc{sup 2} and total molecular gas masses of M(H{sub 2}) = (0.27-14.7) x 10{sup 10} M{sub sun} for the sources in our sample. Based on CO line ratios relative to previously reported observations in J {>=} 3 rotational transitions and line excitation modeling, we find that the CO(J = 1{yields}0) line strengths in our targets are consistent with single, highly excited gas components with constant brightness temperature up to mid-J levels. We thus do not find any evidence for luminous-extended, low-excitation, low surface brightness molecular gas components. These properties are comparable to those found in z > 4 quasars with existing CO(J = 1{yields}0) observations. These findings stand in contrast to recent CO(J = 1{yields}0) observations of z {approx_equal} 2-4 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs), which have lower CO excitation and show evidence for multiple excitation components, including some low-excitation gas. These findings are consistent with the picture that gas-rich quasars and SMGs represent different stages in the early evolution of massive galaxies.
- OSTI ID:
- 21565467
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 739, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L32; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BRIGHTNESS
CARBON MONOXIDE
EMISSION
EVOLUTION
EXCITATION
GALAXIES
NITRIC OXIDE
QUASARS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES