skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: CO(J = 1{yields}0) IN z > 2 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES: NO EVIDENCE FOR EXTENDED MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIRS

Abstract

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 excitationmore » 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.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]; ;  [4];  [5]; ;  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9]
  1. Astronomy Department, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
  2. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)
  3. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, WV 24944 (United States)
  4. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
  5. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States)
  6. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019 (United States)
  7. European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile)
  8. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 (United States)
  9. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21565467
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 739; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L32; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, 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

Citation Formats

Riechers, Dominik A, Carilli, Christopher L, Maddalena, Ronald J, Hodge, Jacqueline, Walter, Fabian, Harris, Andrew I, Baker, Andrew J, Sharon, Chelsea E, Wagg, Jeff, Vanden Bout, Paul A, and Weiss, Axel. CO(J = 1{yields}0) IN z > 2 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES: NO EVIDENCE FOR EXTENDED MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIRS. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L32.
Riechers, Dominik A, Carilli, Christopher L, Maddalena, Ronald J, Hodge, Jacqueline, Walter, Fabian, Harris, Andrew I, Baker, Andrew J, Sharon, Chelsea E, Wagg, Jeff, Vanden Bout, Paul A, & Weiss, Axel. CO(J = 1{yields}0) IN z > 2 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES: NO EVIDENCE FOR EXTENDED MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIRS. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L32
Riechers, Dominik A, Carilli, Christopher L, Maddalena, Ronald J, Hodge, Jacqueline, Walter, Fabian, Harris, Andrew I, Baker, Andrew J, Sharon, Chelsea E, Wagg, Jeff, Vanden Bout, Paul A, and Weiss, Axel. 2011. "CO(J = 1{yields}0) IN z > 2 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES: NO EVIDENCE FOR EXTENDED MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIRS". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L32.
@article{osti_21565467,
title = {CO(J = 1{yields}0) IN z > 2 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES: NO EVIDENCE FOR EXTENDED MOLECULAR GAS RESERVOIRS},
author = {Riechers, Dominik A and Carilli, Christopher L and Maddalena, Ronald J and Hodge, Jacqueline and Walter, Fabian and Harris, Andrew I and Baker, Andrew J and Sharon, Chelsea E and Wagg, Jeff and Vanden Bout, Paul A and Weiss, Axel},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/739/1/L32},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21565467}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 1,
volume = 739,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Tue Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}